The series originated with 42 with Lionsgate TV serving as the studio
Richard Madden is set to star in a new thriller series that will air on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively.
Currently titled “Trauma,” Prime Video will air the series in the U.K. and Ireland, while Paramount+ will release it in all other territories.
The logline for the show states, “When terrorists seize a busy London Hospital and take the Prime Minister hostage during surgery, former Royal Marines medic turned ER doctor Jim Marchant (Madden) must fight his way through the building to save everyone inside. As he takes the hospital floor by floor, the balance of power shifts—and the building becomes a deadly battle of strategy, nerve, and survival.”
The show came together through a co-production model brokered by Lionsgate Television and 42 Management & Production, bringing together Prime Video and Paramount+ for distribution. Lionsgate holds a minority stake in 42. Hannah Blyth, head of content acquisition for TV at Prime Video UK/Ireland, acquired the project for Amazon.
Geoff Bussetil (“Slow Horses,” “Scoop,” “Skins”) created the series and will also write. Daniel Syrkin (“Tehran,” “Mobland”) will direct and executive produce, with Madden executive producing in addition to starring. 42’s Ben Pugh and Ben Cavey will also executive produce. Chrissy Skinns will produce, with 42’s Chris Kennedy co-producing.
“’Trauma’ is exactly the kind of bold, global and propulsive storytelling we want Paramount+ audiences to experience,” said Jane Wiseman, head of originals for Paramount+. “Geoff Bussetil has crafted a nail-biting thriller that puts our audience inside one impossible night with a hero played by the incredibly talented Richard Madden. We can’t wait for viewers around the world to feel their pulse race alongside his.”
Madden is best known for his starmaking turn on the megahit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” on which he played Robb Stark for three seasons. He went on to win a Golden Globe for his work in the BBC One-Netflix series “Bodyguard,” with the show earning an Emmy nomination for best drama series. Madden’s other TV roles include the Amazon series “Citadel” and the upcoming Netflix series “Trinity.” In film, he has starred in “Eternals” for Marvel as well as 2015’s “Cinderella,” the Elton John biopic “Rocketman,” and “1917.”
He is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Sloane Offer.
“This premium global series has come together through exceptional creative collaboration and innovative dealmaking,” said Scott Herbst, EVP & head of scripted development for Lionsgate Television. “Together with 42, we’ve assembled a best-in-class team of partners in Prime Video and Paramount+, and the result is a gripping, high-stakes series that showcases Geoff Bussetil’s distinctive vision and Richard Madden’s undeniable appeal. ‘Trauma’ demonstrates what’s possible when strong creative and distribution partners align behind ambitious, internationally resonant storytelling.”
Lionsgate and Amazon also recently announced a series order for the improvised multi-cam sitcom “DINKS” from Marta Kauffman, which will be produced in a partnership between Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate, and Publicis Media Content Innovation.
Paramount+’s recent series pickups include the thriller series “Ascent” starring Viola Davis, the drama “Laird” with Kenneth Branagh, a “Clueless” sequel series starring Alicia Silverstone as well as the legal drama “Discretion” starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning and the limited series “Fear Not” starring Anne Hathaway.
“Geoff Bussetil has crafted an absolute page turner of a thriller, which uniquely brings together the fast-paced energy of a hospital ER with a high-stakes siege thriller,” said Cavey, 42’s managing director of international TV. “It’s hard to imagine a more perfect director than Daniel Syrkin, with his brilliant mastery of on-screen tension and complex drama – and Richard Madden was of course made to play this flawed but good-hearted hero, an ex-military man turned Doctor who is about to have the longest and most intense shift of his life.”