Airdate: Hijack

Is this the next 24?

High octane thriller series Hijack starring and executive produced by Idris Elba will premiere on Apple TV+ in late June.

The seven-part series also stars Archie Panjabi plus Christine Adams, Max Beesley, Eve Myles, Neil Maskell, Jasper Britton, Harry Michell, Aimee Kelly, Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles.

It is created by George Kay (Lupin, Criminal) and Jim Field Smith (Criminal, Truth Seekers), who also wrote and lead directed the series.

Told in real time, “Hijack” is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers. Elba will star as ‘Sam Nelson,’ an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but, his high-risk strategy could be his undoing. Panjabi will play the role of ‘Zahra Gahfoor,’ a counter terrorism officer who is on the ground when the plane is hijacked and becomes part of the investigation.

“Hijack” is produced by 60Forty Films, the production company set up by Emmy Award-winning Executive Producers Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta (“Slow Horses,” “The Essex Serpent”) under its exclusive content deal with Apple TV+, alongside Kay and FIeld-Smith’s own production company Idiotlamp Productions, and also marks the first series to debut from Elba’s first-look deal with Apple TV+ and his Green Door Pictures. In addition to writing and directing, Kay and Field Smith each serve as executive producers alongside Elba, Laurenson, Kousetta and Kris Thykier.

Two episodes Wednesday, 28 June then weekly on Apple TV+.