Jude Law’s new television show will be the “world’s first immersive TV drama”, with a live event staged as part of the series.
The actor will star alongside Naomie Harris in The Third Day, which will tell three, stand-alone but interconnected stories, not only on screen but also in a “live, immersive event”.
Details of the show were revealed at Sky’s Up Next content showcase on Wednesday.
The first part, Summer, follows Sam (Law), a man who is drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost.
After the three episodes, viewers will get the chance to become part of The Third Day world at a major immersive theatre event. Audiences will “inhabit the story as it happens, live”.
As places will be limited, viewers will also be able to follow the events online.
The Third Day concludes with Winter, which will be told over a further three episodes.
It follows Helen (Harris), a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers, but whose arrival precipitates a fractious battle to decide its fate.
Each story can be experienced separately, with Summer and Winter working together as a complete series – but all three parts together “describe a larger narrative, creating a unique experience for those who seek it”.
The Third Day is a co-production between Sky and HBO.
It is the first original drama to be produced by Sky’s new production house, Sky Studios, in partnership with Plan B Entertainment, immersive theatre company Punchdrunk and writer Dennis Kelly.
Co-creator Felix Barrett, artistic director at Punchdrunk, said: “To tell a story that spans TV and live action has been a long held ambition of mine.
“The Third Day will be both a TV show and a world you can enter, giving viewers the chance to live and breathe the narrative.”
Co-creator and writer Kelly said he “wanted to make a series that was unsettling and disturbing but that also spoke to fears that ran deeper than horror”.
“The themes of the Third Day have long been obsessions of mine – it is about loss and hope and how both of those things can distort the mind in surprising and brutal ways,” he said.
Cameron Roach, Sky Studios’ director of drama, called the show “an imaginative and truly innovative series”.
“The unique approach to storytelling is ground-breaking and we’re so proud to be able to share the compelling world created by Dennis and Felix with our audience and to invite them to truly experience the show in a game-changing way,” Roach added.
Further details of the live event, including how to apply for tickets, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The six-part limited series will air in May in the UK and Ireland on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW TV and in the US on HBO.