Starring Idris Elba (Luther), who also produced the series, and Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) in the lead roles, the seven-part thriller is told in real-time as viewers follow what happens on a hijacked plane flying to London. George Kay and Jim Field Smith created the series, which was ordered in April 2022.
Apple TV+ revealed more about the series in a press release:
“Apple TV+ today shared its first look at Hijack, a new seven-part thriller starring SAG Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Idris Elba (Luther) and executive producing Hijack. Hijack will make its worldwide debut with the first two episodes on Wednesday June 28 on Apple TV+.
The series was created by George Kay (Lupin) and Jim Field Smith (Truth Seekers), who also wrote and directed the series respectively. The series also stars Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winner Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife, Snowpiercer, Blindspot).
Hijack is a suspenseful thriller that follows a hijacked plane's journey to London on a seven-hour flight as the authorities search the ground for answers. Elba plays Sam Nelson, an experienced business negotiator who must use all his cunning to save the lives of the passengers, but his risky strategy could prove to be his downfall. Panjabi will play the role of Zahra Gahfoor, an anti-terrorism agent 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 (Black Lightning), Max Beesley (The Midwich Cuckoos), Eve Myles (Keeping Faith), Neil Maskell (Peaky Blinders), Jasper Britton, Harry Michell (The Capture), Aimée Kelly ( This England), Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles (The Crown).
Hijack is produced by 60Forty Films, the production company formed by Emmy Award-winning executive producers Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta (Slow Horses, The Essex Serpent) under an exclusive agreement with Apple TV+, in addition to Kay and Field Smith's own production company Idiotlamp Productions, and is also the first series to debut based on Elba's first-look deal with Apple TV+ and its Green Door Pictures.
Check out more photos of Hijack below.