Kate Winslet and Maxine Peake are hitting the road together, though apparently not by choice. The pair will play sisters whose act of revenge goes dangerously wrong in “The Unheard,” a five-part Netflix limited series billed as a “Thelma & Louise”-style vengeance drama.
According to Variety, the series follows the sisters as they desperately evade pursuit after their vengeance plot spirals out of control. However, the drama’s central mystery concerns what drove them to such a reckless act—and whether they ever intended to escape afterward.
“Adolescence” co-creator Jack Thorne wrote the series, while “Costa Brava, Lebanon” filmmaker Mounia Akl will direct. Production is expected to begin in 2027.
“The Unheard” gives Thorne another major Netflix project following the extraordinary success of “Adolescence,” which he co-created and wrote with Stephen Graham. The screenwriter subsequently reunited with the streamer for its “Lord Of The Flies” limited series and is also writing an upcoming father-daughter espionage drama starring Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour.
“The Unheard” also continues Winslet’s increasingly pronounced shift toward prestige television, where many of the richest dramatic roles for actors have migrated over the last decade. It will be her fourth consecutive starring television series designed as a limited series, following HBO’s “Mildred Pierce” in 2011, “Mare Of Easttown” in 2021, and “The Regime” in 2024.
However, the “limited” designation has become increasingly flexible: HBO is already establishing a crossover between “Mare Of Easttown” and “Task,” with Julianne Nicholson reprising her role as Lori Ross in the latter show’s second season. Winslet is also attached to HBO’s “Trust,” another limited series currently in development, while “The Unheard” continues her relationship with Netflix following “Goodbye June,” her feature directorial debut.
Winslet will executive produce “The Unheard” alongside Thorne. Warp Films, Matriarch Productions, and Plan B Entertainment produce the project, with Mark Herbert and Emily Feller executive producing for Warp, Hannah Walters and Graham for Matriarch, and Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Nina Wolarsky for Plan B.
Netflix U.K. content chief Anne Mensah announced the series during the Edinburgh TV Festival, where she unveiled several new British commissions.
“In the amazingly competitive U.K. landscape, it’s not good enough to be just ok,” Mensah said. “You need to swing for exceptional. Across drama, comedy, entertainment, live and factual programming, our slate underscores the risks we are happy to take and the extraordinary U.K. creativity we are proud to champion. Bring on 2027; we can’t wait.”
Netflix has not announced a release date for “The Unheard.” Variety first reported the news.
