Jamie Dornan is stepping into his most complex role yet with Netflix’s THE UNDERTOW, a gripping crime noir that promises to showcase the full range of his dramatic capabilities. Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Kenneth Branagh’s BELFAST and his chilling turn in the BBC’s THE TOURIST, Dornan continues to distance himself from his FIFTY SHADES era, choosing projects that challenge both him and audiences with their psychological depth.

THE UNDERTOW sees Dornan taking on the demanding dual role of identical twins Adam and Lee, whose fractured relationship becomes the catalyst for a week-long nightmare of deception and buried emotions. The series, adapted from the Norwegian thriller TWIN, transplants its Nordic noir sensibilities to the rugged Scottish Highlands, where Dornan’s characters find themselves at the center of a dangerous web of secrets that threatens to destroy everyone involved.

The story begins when Lee, Adam’s long-estranged twin brother, crashes back into the life of Nicola, Adam’s wife played by Mackenzie Davis. What makes this reunion particularly volatile is the tangled romantic history between Lee and Nicola, a past that never truly died despite her loveless marriage to his brother. When a split-second decision leads to a terrible accident, Nicola is forced to protect her children at any cost, binding her fate to Lee’s in a desperate attempt to maintain their web of lies.

For Dornan, this represents another strategic move in his evolving career trajectory. Following his breakout in THE FALL, where he masterfully portrayed a serial killer with unsettling charm, and his recent work in projects like WILD MOUNTAIN THYME and BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR, THE UNDERTOW allows him to explore the complexities of playing against himself. The challenge of embodying two distinct personalities while maintaining the physical similarities that make their deception possible will test every aspect of his craft.

The production, helmed by SLOW HORSES director Jeremy Lovering, brings together a impressive creative team including BRIDGERTON‘s Sarah Dollard and GANGS OF LONDON‘s Kam Odedra as part of the writing ensemble. This collaboration suggests a series that will balance the psychological thriller elements with the kind of character-driven storytelling that has defined the best of contemporary television drama.

Filming across the Scottish Highlands in May 2024 provides THE UNDERTOW with a atmospheric backdrop that mirrors the internal turmoil of its characters. The landscape becomes almost a third character in the story, its stark beauty hiding the same kinds of secrets that the twins and Nicola desperately try to keep buried. This setting choice also aligns with the Nordic noir tradition, where the environment often reflects the moral ambiguity of the characters who inhabit it.

While Netflix has yet to announce an official release date, THE UNDERTOW is expected to premiere sometime in 2025, giving Dornan another opportunity to prove that his post-FIFTY SHADES career choices represent a deliberate evolution toward more substantive, challenging material. The series arrives at a time when audiences are hungry for sophisticated thrillers that trust viewers to engage with morally complex characters and situations without easy answers.

THE UNDERTOW represents more than just another role for Dornan; it’s a statement about the kind of actor he’s become and the stories he wants to tell. By choosing to adapt a acclaimed Norwegian series rather than simply remaking American properties, the production signals an commitment to bringing international storytelling sensibilities to English-language television. For viewers seeking the kind of slow-burning psychological tension that made series like THE KILLING and BORGEN international sensations, THE UNDERTOW promises to deliver that same compelling blend of character study and crime drama, anchored by Dornan’s most ambitious performance to date.

Ireland’s film industry celebrates a milestone achievement as acclaimed actor Jamie Dornan and fellow Northern Irish talent Conor MacNeill announce the launch of their new production company, Blackthorn Films. The venture represents a homecoming for both performers who have risen to international prominence while maintaining deep connections to their native soil. Having first collaborated on the 2015 film THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE, the duo’s creative partnership has flourished through projects including THE TOURIST, THE FALL, and Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-winning BELFAST.

Dornan, whose career has seen remarkable evolution since his breakthrough role in THE FALL—which earned him an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor and a BAFTA TV Award nomination—has established himself as one of Ireland’s most versatile performers. His supporting performance in BELFAST garnered Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and IFTA nominations, solidifying his reputation beyond his earlier work. Fans can anticipate his upcoming dual role portraying twin brothers in Netflix’s crime noir series THE UNDERTOW, as well as his collaboration with Anthony Mackie in the limited series 12 12 12 for Apple TV+, where Dornan also serves as executive producer.

Blackthorn Films will be headquartered in Northern Ireland, where both founders were born and raised, with a mission to spotlight indigenous stories with global appeal. “Blackthorn Films was born out of a shared desire to create indigenous stories from the island of Ireland that have a true global reach,” the partners explained. “The company’s aim is to produce work that flips the lens and presents fresh narratives, particularly from the North of the country.” This commitment to authentic storytelling has already earned the company recognition as a recipient of the BBC’s TV Small Indie Fund, which supports emerging production companies across the United Kingdom.

To shepherd their creative vision, Dornan and MacNeill have brought aboard producer Shauna Shivers-McAtamney, whose impressive credentials include work with Element Pictures on acclaimed productions like THE FAVOURITE. Her experience as script editor for the BBC-Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS, the BAFTA-nominated THE DRY, and the forthcoming TRESPASSES starring Gillian Anderson positions her perfectly to advance Blackthorn’s ambitions.

“We are both most creatively content when working at home and we are excited to collaborate with the wealth of skilled and talented filmmakers there, many of whom we have worked with before,” said Dornan and MacNeill. “The professionalism, positive mindset and down-to-earth nature of the key talent and crews in Ireland, North and South, is something we want to harness and embolden.” Through Blackthorn Films, these two accomplished performers aim to channel their international success back into the communities that shaped them, creating a new chapter in Ireland’s rich storytelling tradition while opening doors for emerging voices from a region often overlooked in mainstream cinema.