‘Black Doves’: Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire Join the Upcoming Keira Knightley led Netflix Spy Series!!

Keira Knightley (Boston Strangler) has some new co-stars on her upcoming Netflix spy series, Black Doves, according to Variety. Both Paddington’s Ben Whishaw and Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire have signed on to join the mystery-based series which hails from Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project). Set during the holiday season in London, Black Doves centers on Helen Webb (Knightley), the wife of a well-to-do politician with a secret side hustle. While, on the outside, Helen seems to be nothing more than a loving mother and wife, she’s actually a well-trained spy. Working as an informant for an organization known as Black Doves, Helen’s life begins to crumble after her paramore, Jason, is assassinated.

Whishaw will play Sam Young, an old friend of Helen’s who helps her pick up her life when it breaks into pieces. But, Sam has his own issues that may prove to stand in the way of the pair’s mission. For almost a decade, Whishaw’s voice has been attached to the adorable and marmalade-loving titular bear of the Paddington franchise. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the charming bear would be back in a third film in 2025 titled, Paddington In Peru. 2023 has also seen Whishaw appearing in projects like Alice Englert’s Bad Behaviour and Ira Sachs’ hotly debated romantic drama, Passages.

Lancashire will appear in Black Doves as Reed, the leader of the spy organization under whom Helen works. A favorite of fans and critics alike, Lancashire may be best known for her role as Sgt. Catherine Cawood on the three-season running, Happy Valley. Most recently, the actress cooked up charisma and attitude in the first season of HBO’s Julia, a series based on the life of famous chef, Julia Child. After a successful premiere installment, the comedy drama returns to HBO this November for Season 2.

Who Else Is Cast in ‘Black Doves?’

Along with Knightley, Whishaw, and Lancashire, Netflix’s spy series has already tapped such talent as Andrew Koji (Warrior), Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Sam Troughton (Chernobyl), Kathryn Hunter (Andor), Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin), Adam Silver (The Diplomat), and more. Filming is currently underway for the series with no release date set at this time. Stay tuned for Collider for updates.