Jenna Coleman joins Netflix crime drama

Jenna Coleman has joined upcoming BBC / Netflix crime drama The Serpent.

The 8 part series stars Tahar Rahim as Charles Sobrhaj, one of the most elusive criminals of the 20th century.

Charles Sobhraj (Rahim) was the chief suspect in the unsolved murders of up to 20 young Western travellers across India, Thailand and Nepal’s ‘Hippie Trail’ in 1975 and 1976. Psychopath, con man, thief and master of disguise, having slipped repeatedly from the grasp of authorities worldwide, by 1976 serial killer Sobhraj was Interpol’s most wanted man and had arrest warrants on three different continents.

When Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle), a junior diplomat at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok, unwittingly walks into Sobhraj’s intricate web of crime, he sets off an extraordinary chain of events that will see Knippenberg seek to bring Sobhraj to justice for his terrible crimes.

Jenna Coleman will play Marie-Andrée Leclerc, Sobhraj’s partner and frequent accomplice.

Also featuring are Ellie Bamber, Aussie Alice Englert, Mathilde Warnier, Gregoire Isvarine and Sahajak Boonthanakit.

“The Serpent intoxicated me into the dark seductive world of Charles Sobhraj. I’m so looking forward to delving into hippie trail depths and bringing to life this unfathomable real life story alongside Tahar, Billy, Ellie, Tom, Richard and the wonderful cast and production team for the BBC and Netflix,” said Coleman.

Written by Richard Warlow and Toby Finlay, the series has now begun filming in Thailand and will premiere on BBC One in the UK, and on Netflix outside of the UK and Ireland. It is directed by Tom Shankland and Hans Herbots.