Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle and Ellie Bamber cast in BBC/Netflix series The Serpent

A trio of actors will play lead roles in the BBC/Netflix drama The Serpent.

Jenna Coleman (Victoria), Billy Howle (Dunkirk), and Ellie Bamber (Les Misérables) will star opposite Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) in The Serpent.

The eight-part limited series tells the story of Charles Sobhraj (Rahim), the main suspect in up to 20 murders of young Westerners between 1975 and 1976 along the “Hippe Trail” of India, Thailand, and Nepal.

Coleman will play Sobhraj’s partner and accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc. Meanwhile, Howle and Bamber will play Herman and Angela Knippenberg.

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Herman Knippenberg was a junior diplomat in Bangkok’s Dutch Embassy who becomes entangled with Sobhraj. He eventually attempted to bring the serial killer, who was on Interpol’s most-wanted list by 1976, to justice.

The Serpent has already started filming in Thailand.

The show will be written by Richard Warlow (Ripper Street) and Toby Finlay (Peaky Blinders) and directed by Tom Shankland (Les Misérables) and Hans Herbots (Riviera). Warlow and Shankland will also executive produce with several others.

Of her role in The Serpent, Coleman said,

"The Serpent intoxicated me into the dark seductive world of Charles Sobhraj. I’m so looking forward to delving into hippie trail depths and bringing to life this unfathomable real life story alongside Tahar, Billy, Ellie, Tom, Richard and the wonderful cast and production team for the BBC and Netflix."

The Serpent certainly sounds fascinating. The series will not only be a period piece, but it will also tell a surprising true-crime tale. As a result, the show will encompass two genres that are currently popular with audiences.

No word yet on when the series will hit the small screen but continue to check back with ShowSnob for the latest news on the series.

Are you looking forward to watching The Serpent? Be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

(Source: Deadline)