ITV has opted to drop upcoming submarine thriller commission Tenacity, the broadcaster confirmed to RadioTimes.com.
However, RadioTimes.com understands the decision is unrelated to the success of the BBC’s tense submarine drama Vigil.
While Broadcast reported that sources had indicated the fact that Vigil was announced with key cast attached, including Suranne Jones, Martin Compston, Anjli Mohindra and Rose Leslie, and rapidly entered production meant it overshadowed its rival Tenacity, we understand this was not a factor in ITV’s move.
“ITV commissioned Tenacity before the COVID-19 pandemic, and once lockdown occurred and the industry paused for several months, a significant part of the funding for the project was lost,” an ITV spokesperson told RadioTimes.com. “Consequently, the Bad Wolf production team decided they could no longer pursue the commission.”
ITV first commissioned Bad Wolf and eOne’s six-part series in June 2019 but it was put on pause in early 2020 after eOne pulled back from funding it amid the pandemic.
Bad Wolf is no longer involved with Tenacity.
According to Broadcast, eOne continues to control the IP to Tenacity and it remains in active development with its LA team.
The thriller, written by Peter Dowling (Reasonable Doubt, Flightplan), is inspired by JS Law’s novel of the same name, which sees disgraced military detective Danielle Lewis sent to investigate when a submariner is found dead onboard a British nuclear submarine.
Tenacity was written by Flightplan screenwriter Peter Dowling in his debut UK TV series writing role and follows military detective Danielle ‘Dan’ Lewis as she investigates the mystery of a dead submariner found aboard nuclear submarine Tenacity.
A synopsis previously shared by ITV when it announced the series in 2019 teased: “When the case turns to murder it puts her in conflict with Tenacity’s crew, her Navy superiors, and into the crosshairs of an assassin who has infiltrated her nuclear base with an agenda that will not only destroy national security but kill Dan and everyone she loves.”
Vigil, meanwhile, followed DCI Amy Silva (Jones) when she was sent aboard nuclear submarine HMS Vigil to investigate the death of Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke (Compston).
She soon found herself treating the incident as a murder and came up against resistance from Vigil’s crew as she set about trying to track down the killer.
If you’re looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.