Michelle Keegan and Tom Bateman To Lead Netflix’s Next Harlan Coben UK Thriller, ‘The Woods’

Harlan Coben’s incredibly successful partnership with Netflix continues to expand. Following global UK hits like Fool Me Once and 2026’s Run Away, Netflix is bringing us a brand-new British adaptation of Coben’s 2007 thriller, The Woods.

If that title sounds familiar, it should! This marks the second time Netflix is adapting this specific novel, following the 2020 Polish mini-series of the same name (W głębi lasu). However, this new production brings the story to the UK, armed with an all-star British cast and the creative powerhouse behind Netflix’s biggest recent thrillers.

Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming 8-part UK adaptation of The Woods.

What is the plot of The Woods?

Netflix has officially released the synopsis for the UK relocation, which will span eight 60-minute episodes:

“Twenty years ago, Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland’s sister Camille vanished from a summer camp in the woods, a loss that tore his family apart. Now a top barrister and devoted single father to ten-year-old daughter Cami, Cope appears to have rebuilt his life. But when the body of a man turns up – twenty years after he was supposedly murdered alongside Camille – Cope becomes convinced his sister may have made it out of the woods alive too. Determined to uncover the truth, Cope reunites with his first love, Lucy Silverfield, and together they begin a search for answers, unearthing years of lies, cover-ups, and family secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has built.”

The series remains mostly faithful to the original book, keeping Paul as a widowed father reuniting with his first love, Lucy (whose last name is tweaked from Gold to Silverfield), and casting reveals it will also include the book’s intense secondary blackmail subplot featuring characters like EJ Jenrette. While the central twists and turns are intact, the series naturally relocates the action from New Jersey to the UK, shifting Paul’s profession from a county prosecutor to a top British barrister. Fans of the novel should also keep an eye out for “Uncle Sosh”—a character deeply tied to a dense espionage subplot in the book—whose inclusion in the cast list hints that the show won’t shy away from the original story’s darkest family secrets.

Picture Credit: Netflix

Who is in the cast?

The cast list is incredibly stacked, headlined by Tom Bateman as Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland and Michelle Keegan as his first love, Lucy Silverfield. Notably, this production is bringing back some familiar faces from previous Harlan Coben smash hits to delight eagle-eyed fans.

Returning Harlan Coben Alumni

• Michelle Keegan as Lucy Silverfield. (Also known for: Brassic, Our Girl)
  • Coben Universe: Keegan makes her highly anticipated return to the Cobenverse after leading the global 2024 phenomenon, Fool Me Once, as Maya Stern.
• Tracy-Ann Oberman as Jessica Kinberg. (Also known for: Friday Night Dinner, EastEnders)
  • Coben Universe: Oberman is seemingly reprising her role (they have the same character name) from the 2026 Coben entry, Run Away.

There’s also another returning cast member, we’re told, that was announced today… 

New to the Coben Universe

• Tom Bateman (Behind Her Eyes, Death on the Nile, The Love Hypothesis) as Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland 
• Mandeep Dhillon (After Life, MobLand) as Loren Muse
• Pearce Quigley (The Gentlemen, Small Prophets) as Ira Silverfield 
• Rade Sherbedgia (Slow Horses, Downton Abbey) as Uncle Sosh 
• James Buckley (The Inbetweeners, White Gold) as Lonnie Berger 
• Shannon Watson (The Jetty, Outrageous) as Shannon Johnson 
• Pamela Nomvete (Andor, Nightsleeper) as Mrs. Peters
• Amelia Eve (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Leopard Skin) as Raya Stone 
• Kerry Howard (Him and Her, Witless) as Greta Cole 
• Roger Barclay (Industry, Andor) as EJ Jenrette 
• Simon Lowe (Miss Scarlet and The Duke, Kirkmoore) as Bob Cole 
• Dean Fagan (Time, Missed Call) as DS Steve York 
• Tom Allen (The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Titanique) as Flynn Hickory 
• Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch, Call the Midwife) as DC Daisy Dillon 
• Christopher Harper (Call the Midwife, Endeavour) as Wayne Steubens 

Pictures courtesy of Netflix

Who is behind the series?

If you loved Fool Me Once and Run Away, you are in luck. The Woods reunites the exact creative dream team responsible for Netflix’s most bingeable British thrillers.

The series is produced by Manchester-based Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios) with Harlan Coben serving as an executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions. The creative team includes:

• Creator & Executive Producer: Harlan Coben
• Lead Writer & Executive Producer: Danny Brocklehurst
• Executive Producers: Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee, and Charlotte Coben
• Writers: Charlotte Coben, Tom Farrelly, & Joe Forrest
• Producer: Will McDonagh
• Directors: Andy De Emmony (Episodes 1-3), Claire Tailyour (Episodes 4-6), & Isher Sahota (Episodes 7-8)
• Casting Director: Orla Maxwell

Elsewhere, below the line, key production staff include Production Executive Rachel Jones, Line Producer Lesley Crooks-Parsons, Associate Producer Sam Bain, and Production Manager Joanne Barba. Keeping the daily shoot running smoothly are Assistant Directors Jean-Paul Lebon and Libby Noone, alongside Location and Unit Managers Martha Gledhill, James Muirhead, and Ian MacDonald. The document also credits crucial behind-the-scenes team members, including Joseph Taylor, Marianna Machova, Abbi Fletcher, Anna Grant, Laura Wilkinson, runners Lola Galliano (whose call sheet we saw!), Maria Gabriellatou, and Daniel Ryll, as well as stills photographer Ben Blackall.

Harlan Coben expressed his excitement for the project:

“The Woods is a haunting and very personal story. It has everything you expect from us — twisty, turning, gasp-inducing — but at the core is a story of old love and yearning. Working with a cast led by Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, James Buckley, Tom Allen – it’s an embarrassment of riches.”

Lead writer Danny Brocklehurst added:

“It’s a great pleasure to be working with Netflix on another twisty emotional thriller. And what a cast we have gathered. Reuniting with Michelle Keegan is a dream and to be working with huge talent like Tom Bateman, Pearce Quigley, Kerry Howard and James Buckley is a joy. We are very fortunate.”

What is the production status?

The Woods is officially in production and marks the 14th title from bestselling author Harlan Coben produced for Netflix. The new series follows the massive success of 2026’s Run Away and 2024’s Fool Me Once. Filming kicked off on April 28th and began in Bolton, with the rest of the series also filming throughout the North of England for the foreseeable future.  

Given the 8-episode count and current production timeline, we will likely see The Woods hit our screens sometime in 2027. Netflix loves dropping these British Coben thrillers right around New Year’s Day, so keep your eyes peeled!

Also, don’t forget that this is just one of several Coben adaptations. Titles currently available to stream on Netflix include Run Away, Missing You, Fool Me Once, Gone For Good, The Stranger, Stay Close, The Innocent, Just One Look, Caught, and Safe. 

I Will Find You is the next to drop sometime this year, with Britt Lower and Logan Browning to star. Netflix is also in pre-production on Myron Bolitar, which is scheduled to get into production in New York this summer, and All We Ever Wanted with Jessica Goldberg is also reportedly still in active development. 

You can find the complete guide to Harlan Coben on Netflix here.

Are you excited to head back into The Woods? Let us know in the comments!