First Look at Sony TV's ALEX RIDER Series

Alex Rider (Otto Farrant) and his best friend Tom Harris (Brenock O’Connor) at school. Photographer: Des Willie
Anthony Horowitz’s teen spy Alex Rider returns to the screens in a joint production from Sony Pictures Television and Eleventh Hour Films, who have today unveiled a first-look at the eight-part coming-of-age series starring Otto Farrant (War & Peace, The White Queen) in the titular role.

The novels celebrate their twentieth anniversary next year with the eagerly anticipated thirteenth edition of the saga, Nightshade, but fans of the series hopefully won’t have to wait that long for the TV show debut, which picks up the story after the 2006 film, Stormbreaker. It sees Alex’s progression from teenage London schoolboy to meeting his handler Mrs Jones, Vicky McClure (Line of Duty, Broadchurch), in The Department (a secret underworld offshoot of MI6) and embarking on his first undercover mission in the French Alps.

Alex Rider (Otto Farrant) arriving at Point Blanc Academy in the French Alps. Photographer: Des Willie
Farrant is excited for audiences to see the adventures his character is thrown into. “There were so many new exciting challenges to conquer, starting at the top of a mountain and ending running through the backstreets of Bermondsey” he teased about some of the scenes to expect. “I’m over the moon to be able to share this journey with audiences and fans everywhere.”

Filming for the series started back in March in a remote snowy location where the Point Blanc Academy exterior set is located. The initial weeks of filming also involved action-packed stunts, including the iconic moment of Alex snowboarding down the mountain on an ironing board. It was then back to London for the remaining five months of shooting. Filming took the international cast and crew all over London and the South East, making use of locations such as; Bermondsey, Crouch End, Millennium Mills, South Bank, The Shard, Greenham Common and Osterley Park.

Alex Rider (Otto Farrant) and Mrs Jones (Vicky McClure) in The Department. Photographer: Des Willie
Author and Executive Producer, Horowitz, is sure that both old fans and new audiences are going to enjoy the amazing adventures that Sony and Eleventh Hour Films have created. “I couldn’t be happier with this dramatisation of my books. Otto Farrant is a superb Alex Rider, brilliantly supported by Brenock O’Connor (Game of Thrones, Derry Girls) as his best friend, Tom. The series really captures the essence of the novels.” Wayne Garvie, President, International Production at Sony Pictures Television added, “We wanted Alex Rider to have cinematic scale, a true premium drama for international audiences, to be enjoyed by all ages. Eleventh Hour have delivered a series that does justice to Anthony’s iconic books. The direction, the soundtrack, the performances, they are all fresh and unique, we think we have something very special.”