Created by George Kay (“Lupin,” “Criminal”) and Jim Field Smith (“Criminal,” “Truth Seekers”), who also wrote and lead directed the series respectively, the series also stars Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winner Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife,” “Snowpiercer,” “Blindspot”).
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 counterterrorism officer who is on the ground when the plane is hijacked and becomes part of the investigation. In addition to Elba and Panjabi, the series stars Christine Adams, Max Beesley, Eve Myles, Neil Maskell, Jasper Britton, Harry Michell, Aimée Kelly, Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles.
“Hijack” has been 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.