You won’t have to miss Harlan Coben’s signature mysteries for long — a new limited series from the prolific creator is on the way.
Coben’s next project, upcoming limited series Run Away, will enter production later this January. James Nesbitt, who starred in the recent hit Missing You, will lead Run Away as Simon, a man whose perfect life starts to crumble after his daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange), well, runs away.
“Run Away is about family — about what we will do to keep our family intact, what secrets we keep within our family, and what secrets we keep as a family,” Coban tells Tudum. “Every time you walk past the house, there’s a whole universe that goes on behind that door and none of us have a clue what it is.”
The eight-episode thriller — inspired by Coben’s 2019 novel of the same name — will uncover those secrets, as Simon realizes he has a chance to save Paige. However, his journey will unearth untold violence that threatens to “blow up” his family for good, Coben says. Nesbitt will be joined by co-stars Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, Lucian Msamati, and more for all of Run Away’s surprises.
Keep reading to delve even deeper into Run Away’s hidden truths, from plot to cast and filming location. The mystery is only just beginning.
What is Run Away about?
Nesbitt stars as Simon, a seemingly lucky man with a loving wife and kids, great job, and beautiful home. But then his eldest daughter Paige runs away, and everything falls apart. When Simon finds Paige, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he finally has the chance to bring his little girl home.
Coben watched countless audition tapes to find the right actor to play Paige. Now, he’s excited for audiences to see Ellie de Lange portray the complicated character. “Ellie really captured both the strength and the frailty of this character of Paige — what she’s going through and the secrets that she’s keeping,” he says. “There’s a lot that she has to evoke here and emote in this character.”
After all, it won’t be easy for Simon to save his daughter once he learns she isn’t alone. In Run Away, an argument escalates into shocking violence that will shatter Simon’s life all over again. His search for Paige will take Simon into a dangerous underworld, revealing deep secrets that could tear his family apart forever.
Coben says he immediately knew Nesbitt would be perfect for this role. “Jimmy just has so much range. He’s so natural and authentic at all times,” the creator says. “He’s an empathetic actor in the sense that he feels, and then you feel for him.”
Who is in the Run Away Cast?
The Run Away cast includes:
- James Nesbitt (The Missing, Cold Feet) as Simon Greene
- Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Stella) as Elena Ravenscroft
- Minnie Driver (The Serpent Queen, Good Will Hunting) as Ingrid Greene
- Alfred Enoch (The Couple Next Door, The Critic) as Isaac Fagbenle
- Lucian Msamati (Conclave, Gangs of London) as Cornelius Faber
- Jon Pointing (Big Boys, Sweetpea) as Ash
- Ellie de Lange (Wolf Hall, The Serpent) as Paige Greene
- Adrian Greensmith (Harlan Coben’s Shelter, Metal Lords) as Sam Greene
- Ellie Henry (Hollyoaks) as Anya Greene
- Tracy-Ann Oberman (Friday Night Dinner, Toast of London) as Jessica Kinberg
- Annette Badland (Ted Lasso, Midsommar Murders) as Lou
- Ingrid Oliver (The Thursday Murder Club, Sweetpea) as Yvonne
- Maeve Courtier-Lilley (Gran Turismo, The Red King) as Dee Dee
- Finty Williams (The A List, Six Minutes to Midnight) as Enid Corval
- Joe McGann (Kaos, Vera) as Wiley Corval
- Amy Gledhill (Big Mood, Starstruck) as Ruby Todd
Coben calls the cast “an embarrassment of riches” and “unbelievable.” The executive producer is also excited to work with Adrian Greensmith again, who appeared in Coben’s 2023 YA drama Shelter.
Yet, there’s one Coben collaborator you shouldn’t expect to spy in Run Away: Richard Armitage, who starred in Fool Me Once, Missing You, and more of the author’s mysteries. “He’s a wonderful actor, a dear friend,” Coben says, revealing he recently had Armitage over for Thanksgiving in his New Jersey home. “I’m sure we’ll work together again in the future.”
Where will Run Away film?
Run Away, like many of Coben’s previous Netflix adaptations, will be set in the UK. Filming begins this January in Manchester and the northwest of England.
Coben says he’s fallen in love with these locations after filming in them for so long. “When you do as many shows as we’ve done there, you really get the charm,” he explains. “What’s wonderful about the north of England is there’s such variety. There’s a combination of everyday and eccentric about the settings there.”
Who is on the Run Away creative team?
Coben serves as executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions. Fool Me Once’s Danny Brocklehurst is the lead writer and also serves as an executive producer alongside Nicola Shindler and Richard Fee. Guy Hescott and Will McDonagh are producers. Run Away is produced by Quay Street Productions.
What other Harlan Coben TV shows can I watch?
While you wait for Run Away’s premiere, you have an entire collection of Coben titles to enjoy right now. You can press play on Missing You, Fool Me Once, Gone For Good, The Stranger, Stay Close, The Innocent, Hold Tight, The Woods, and Safe.
And, until Run Away debuts, keep coming back to Tudum to find out what’s next for the Greene family.
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