Starz is getting involved in another British drama.
The network has boarded Channel 4’s Maya, starring Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Tobias Menzies (Outlander), as a co-production partner.
Maya comes from Daisy Haggard, who created the series and also stars. It follows the story of mother and daughter as they are forced into witness protection to escape a dangerous threat.
Filming on the six-part wrapped in Scotland in December and Deadline understands that Starz, which will air the show in the U.S. and Canada, boarded the project earlier this year.
Leaving their lives in London behind, Anna, played by Haggard, and her teenage daughter Maya, played by Ramsey, must take on new identities and relocate to a small rural town. As they try to adjust to their new reality, the trauma of their past continues to haunt them and the sinister presence of two hitmen leaves a trail of unease as they search for the missing mother and daughter. As the walls close in on them it becomes clear that the dangerous figure from their past is still a looming threat.
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Maya is produced by Fleabag producer Two Brothers and All3Media International brokered the deal with Starz. Haggard, who starred in Showtime’s Episodes and FX’s Breeders, created, wrote and co-directed the series and exec produced alongside Harry and Jack Williams, Sarah Hammond, Alex Mercer and Daisy Mount.
It marks the latest British series for Starz, which has acquired the BBC’s Rebecca Hall-fronted The Listeners, Sky’s Amadeus and Channel 4’s Russell T. Davies-created Alan Cumming-led drama Tip Toe in recent months. Deadline also revealed earlier this week that it had boarded Sony Pictures Television’s S.W.A.T. spinoff Exiles.
“This edge‑of‑your‑seat thriller is a perfect addition to our expanding, premium female‑driven slate. Anchored by creator and star Daisy Haggard, alongside the magnetic Bella Ramsey — Maya delivers a compelling portrait of a mother fighting to protect her daughter, blended with wit and fierce love,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming for Starz. “We’re also thrilled to reunite with Tobias Menzies, whose iconic portrayal of Outlander’s brutal and sadistic Black Jack Randall, may pale next to his latest character’s villainy.”
