“Warrior follows in the spirit of the tradition of adrenalized Cinemax dramas that we established with Strike Back and Banshee,” said Antholis, listing the network’s two most successful original series to date. “We are brimming with excitement for this unique martial arts series combining Bruce Lee’s inspired conception with the immense storytelling talents of Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin.”
After ending its four season run on Cinemax in the Summer of 2015, my guess was as good as anyone else’s on what would become of the hit Cinemax/Sky series, Strike Back, if anything. Actors Sullivan Stapleton and Phillip Winchester led the show in its evolution as one of the most widely received military spy dramas to date and with uncertainty in the midst late last year, news broke last December of the show’s reboot with a fresh new cast roster, character breakdowns and possible story details.
That reboot is officially taking shape as of the last several days and with Wednesday marking the first photo reveal of all four new Section 20 agents: Warren Brown (“Luther,” “The Dark Knight Rises”) as “Mac” McAllister, Daniel MacPherson (“Infini”) as Samuel Wyatt, Roxanne McKee (“Game of Thrones,” “Crossfire”) as Natalie Reynolds and Alin Sumarwata (“Burning Man”) as Gracie Novinas. Also joining the cast for production in Jordan and Hungary are actresses Nina Sosanya (“David Brent: Life on the Road,” “Love Actually”) as Adeena Donovan, Katherine Kelly (“The Night Manager,” “Happy Valley”) as Jane Lowry and actor Trevor Eve 66 as Morgan Ives.
From L to R: Daniel MacPherson, Roxanne McKee, Warren Brown and Alin Sumarwata
Disavowed and disbanded, the Section program is restored in order to track down a notorious terrorist following a brutal prison break. Tasked with covert military intelligence and high-risk operations, the resurrected unit embarks on a lethal manhunt that will uncover a vast web of interconnected criminal activity. As the team journeys across the Middle East and Europe, they uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens to overwhelm them all and change the face of modern warfare forever.
Per the press release unveiled on Wednesday, the cast will also be doing most of its own stunts. In addition, the show’s confidential military consultants have also returned to aid the show’s progress and authenticity in all the essential aspects of counterterrorism, espionage and Black Ops.
“STRIKE BACK has been critical to defining CINEMAX as a destination for adrenalized, combat-based dramas with spectacular production values,” notes Kary Antholis, president of CINEMAX. “This rebirth of the series will undoubtedly satisfy the show’s loyal fans, and our new ensemble cast promises to attract a new generation to the show.”
“We are so thrilled to be welcoming a new cast to Section 20 and the four actors are a fantastic addition to the STRIKE BACK family,” says Sharon Hughff, executive producer for Left Bank Pictures. “The STRIKE BACK series is still going strong and we can’t wait to see this new season on screen with the intensity and high action that fans have come to expect from the show!”
Strike Back was hailed in 2015 by Forbes as “one of the best shows on television.” with TV Guide hailing it as “TV’s most explosive action series”. The A.V. Club praised its aptitude to deliver “the thrills of an action movie blockbuster on the small screen.” This new season also marks Sky’s sixth installment in the Strike Back franchise with Cinemax airing Sky’s first season of the series as Strike Back: Origins back in 2013.
Strike Back hails from Cinemax in association with Sky whose Cameron Roach is executive producing the series with Left Bank Pictures’s Andy Harries and with Sharon Hughff. Director/Executive Producer Michael Bassett and Showrunner/Writer Jack Lothian are also returning with the latter executive producing and Pete Coogan joining as production executive. Bill Shephard is the series producer with Nuala O’Leary and Lawrence Cochran producing.
It’s almost hard to believe that Cinemax’s hit series, Banshee, is coming to a close after this year’s fourth and final season. Bearing this in mind, it’ll be interesting to follow if you’ve been keeping up with actor Antony Starr and actress Ivana Milicevic as their respective characters deal with troubling story arcs that pit them against some of the worst circumstances they’ve had to face.
This, coupled with supporting performances by Frankie Faison and Hoon Lee with performances by the stunning Lili Simmons and the intriguing Ulrich Thomsen has led the show to some pretty gut-wrenching twists and turns with piping hot action that keeps you wanting more. If you’ve missed out on this show at all since its 2013 beginning, thankfully you can catch it all on Cinemax’s website and applications, and you have a sizeable window to do so between now and the season 4 premiere on April 1.
In the meantime, Cinemax has unleashed a new highlight trailer that dishes the goods and teases sweet, sweet revenge. Watch it below!
You have to give it up to cable television, because their programming standards are set way beyond the family friendly millieu of other local TV networks. So when you look at a show like the hit Cinemax series, Strike Back, you really are looking at one of the most intense and substantive action shows in the history of television, and that’s far from anything you would deem as an exaggeration.
The show, based on the title novel by former SAS soldier Chris Ryan, ran up to five seasons this year since 2011 starring Phillip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton in the respective roles of a British and American soldier – two reluctantly-partnered members of a secret counterterrorism unit working for the British government to take on high-risk missions and foil deadly international plots by the world’s most elusive foes. The series has very much evolved in all of its layers from the cast and overall atmosphere throughout the storyline with each relationship deeply affected through triumph and tragedy, with this last season this year foreseeing what’s been hyped as the final mission for our heroes of Section 20 as they take on a North Korean terrorist played cunningly by the legendary Michelle Yeoh.
At this rate, whatever this means for the show, it may not necessarily mean the end. Word from EW now brings the hopeful prospects of a feature film from London-based Left Bank Pictures and Sky Media. The production is currently in talks to bring Cinemax on board with the likely return of Winchester and Stapleton for production to commense in South America should a deal be met.
I couldn’t be more happier for this news with such an amazing storyline and line-up of characters. There’s been a few in this series who have tragically departed and I absolutely hate that this may well factor into what lies ahead for the potential film, but I sincerely hope this lends an opportunity to perfectly build on what’s been a hugely fun and exciting TV run.
If you’ve missed out on this show at all in the last several years, I really don’t know what you’re doing with your life. The show is perpetual, consistent and perfectly paced amid the necessary character development, action suspense, drama, levity, and sex (LOTS of it…Sully‘s been a busy bee in this department, and if you watch the show, again, no exaggeration there).
Both lead actors are currently off to a great start with their own respective TV shows on NBC, with Winchester opposite Wesley Snipes in the Vegas-set thriller, The Player, and Stapleton in the Jaimie Alexander-led Blindspot.
Check back for details.
The hit action series BANSHEE will return to CINEMAX in 2016 for a fourth season of eight episodes, which will shoot in Pittsburgh, Pa., it was announced today by Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming. The Emmy®-winning show is currently in its third season, with episodes debuting Fridays at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT). BANSHEE’s fourth season will be executive produced by Alan Ball, Greg Yaitanes, Jonathan Tropper, Peter Macdissi, Adam Targum and Ole Christian Madsen.
With world security storylines ripped from today’s headlines, the second season begins with Sgt. Damien Scott (Stapleton) on a standard security mission in Kenya and Section 20 facing a new boss, Rachel Dalton (Rhona Mitra). Now out of the unit, Sgt. Michael Stonebridge (Winchester) is training recruits at a military base, staying close to home and being a dutiful husband. When Scott¹s mission takes an unexpected dangerous turn, the two are back together working to retrieve an elusive box of nuclear triggers coveted by everyone from Al Qaeda to the expatriate leader of a mercenary army.