''The Rig'' is an upcoming supernatural thriller television series created by David Macpherson for

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

. The series is directed by

John Strickland John Strickland is a British film and television director.''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors: Volume 1'', Page XVIII Some of his credits include '' The Murder of Princess Diana'', '' Maigret'', ''The Bill'', ''Clocking Off'', '' Trust ...

, and is the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The series is scheduled to be released in 6 January 2023, and will consist of six episodes.

Premise

When the crew of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

stationed Kinloch Bravo

oil rig {{about, , the mnemonic OIL RIG, Redox An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig, an apparatus for on-land oil drilling * Drillship, a floating apparatus for offshore oil drilling * ...

is due to return to the mainland, a mysterious fog rolls in and cuts off communication with the outside world. The crew will be driven to the limits of their endurance and loyalties and will be forced into a confrontation with forces that are beyond their imagination.

Cast and characters

Emily Hampshire Emily Hampshire (born 1979) is a Canadian actress. Her best known roles include Angelina in the 1998 romantic comedy '' Boy Meets Girl'', Vivienne in the 2006 film '' Snow Cake'', Jennifer Goines in the Syfy drama series '' 12 Monkeys'' (2015� ...

as Rose Mason: The oil company representative and scientist, and a fresh face on-board the rig. *

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy te ...

as Magnus MacMillan: The leader of the crew and the

offshore installation manager The Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) is the most senior manager of an offshore platform operating on the UKCS. Many offshore operators have adopted this UK offshore management model and title and applied it to their operations in all global reg ...

of the rig. *

Martin Compston Martin Compston (born 8 May 1984) is a Scottish actor and former Association Football, professional footballer. He played Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the BBC drama ''Line of Duty'', Liam in Ken Loach, Ken Loach's '' ...

as Fulmer Hamilton *

Mark Bonnar Richard Mark Bonnar (born 19 November 1968) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in ''Guilt'', Duncan Hunter in ''Shetland'', Bruno Jenkins in ''Casualty'', Detective Finney in ''Psychoville'', DCC Mike Dryden in ''Line of Duty ...

as Alwyn Evans *

Rochenda Sandall Rochenda Sandall (born 1988) is a British actress who played Lisa McQueen in ''Line of Duty'', and has featured in other productions including '' Small Axe'' and ''Doctor Who''. Biography Rochenda Sandall was born in about 1988 in Grimsby, a ...

as Cat Braithwaite *

Owen Teale Owen Teale (born 20 May 1961) is a Welsh character actor known for his role as Ser Alliser Thorne in the HBO fantasy TV series ''Game of Thrones''. Early life Owen Teale was born on 20 May 1961, in North Cornelly, south Wales, son of Roy and ...

as Lars Hutton * Richard Pepple as Grant Dunlin *

Calvin Demba Calvin Demba is an English actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles in ''Youngers'' and ''Life (2020 TV series), Life''. Early life Demba was born and raised in East London. From the age of 17, Demba attended The Half Moon yo ...

as Baz Roberts *

Emun Elliott Emun Elliott is a Scottish actor, known for portraying Dr. Christian King in ''Paradox'', Richie in ''Threesome'', John Moray in '' The Paradise'', and Kenny in '' Guilt''. Background Elliott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland as Emun John Moham ...

as Leck Longman * Abraham Popoola as Easter Ayodeji *

Stuart McQuarrie Stuart McQuarrie (born 19 March 1963) is a Scottish actor who has starred in several acclaimed films, including ''Trainspotting'' and '' 28 Days Later''. Besides numerous film and TV appearances McQuarrie has performed extensively in theatre th ...

as Colin Murchison * Molly Vevers as Heather Shaw * Dougie Rankin as William Johnson

Production

Development

David Macpherson first came up with the idea for the series in 2018, based in part on the stories his father told him about working in the oil and gas industry. He sent a one-page pitch to producer

Derek Wax Derek Wax is a British television producer. His work includes ''Sex Traffic'', '' Occupation'', '' The Hour,'' '' Troy: Fall of a City,'' ''Capital'' and ''Humans''. He was a producer at Granada TV from 2001-2005 and an Executive Producer at Ku ...

, and began writing it in December 2018. In November 2020, it was announced that Amazon had greenlit ''The Rig''. The series is written and created by David Macpherson, and directed and executive produced by

. Derek Wax also executive produces, while Suzanne Reid produces. Wax's company Wild Mercury Productions produces the series.

Writing

Work started on the series' scripts in December 2018. Meg Salter and Matthew Jacobs Morgan serve as writers.

Casting

In mid-March 2021,

, and

were cast in key roles. The next day,

, Rochenda Sandall,

, Richard Pepple, Calvin Demba,

, Abraham Popoola,

, and Molly Vevers were cast. Kelly Valentine-Hendry serves as the

casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...

for the series.

Filming

Filming started on 29 March 2021, at an

, and at FirstStage Studios in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. The series is the first Amazon Original to be filmed entirely in Scotland. Filming wrapped in August 2021. The first three episodes were directed by

, and the final three were directed by Alex Holmes.

Release

The official trailer was released on November 29, 2022. The pilot episode premiered at Everyman cinema in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, Scotland, on December 6, 2022. The six-episode series is scheduled to be released on January 6, 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rig, The (TV series) 2023 British television series debuts Upcoming drama television series Psychological thriller television series Amazon Prime Video original programming English-language television shows Television shows filmed in Scotland