Kelly Reilly has jetted to Wales, where she’s filming a Sky Original series. Following the release of Yellowstone’s fifth and final season, the actress will inhabit the role of detective turned teacher, Jackie Ellis in Under Salt Marsh.
Kelly, whose involvement was confirmed in August, is set to team up with a legion of esteemed British stars on the project. Among them, Rafe Spall – known for One Day (2011), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Trying (2020) – has signed on as Detective Eric Bull.
Meanwhile, Slow Horses (2022) and The Crown (2022-23) star Jonathan Pryce will appear, although his role is yet to be disclosed.
Counting Peaky Blinders (2022) and Nightsleeper (2024) among her impressive list of credits, Naomi Yang has joined the cast, which also includes Harry Lawtey (Joker Folie à Deux), Dinita Gohil (Sandman), Brian Gleeson (Bad Sisters, Phantom Thread), Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat) and Mark Stanley (Happy Valley, The Reckoning).
Dino Fetscher (Fool Me Once, Foundation), Lizzie Annis (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Extraordinary), Rhodri Meilir (Pren Ar y Bryn/Tree On A Hill, Craith/Hidden), and Julian Lewis Jones (House of the Dragon, Wheel of Time) have secured roles, too.
Based in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, Claire Oakley’s crime thriller will follow former detective turned teacher, Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly), who after a storm is devastated to discover the body of her eight-year-old student, Cefin, who seemingly drowned.
Sending shockwaves through the town, the tragedy takes a toll on the local community, who just three years before were confronted with the sudden disappearance of Jackie’s niece, Nessa – a case which remains unsolved.
“Cefin’s death summons Jackie’s former partner, Detective Eric Bull, back to Morfa Halen to lead the investigation into a community he failed once before,” explains the synopsis. “Convinced the cases are linked, Jackie and Bull must reconcile and race to uncover long-buried secrets inside Morfa, before the storm breaks and all the evidence is gone for good.”
Filming for the series has officially commenced this week, with Sky yet to announce a release date. Speaking about the project, showrunner Claire Oakley said: “Under Salt Marsh is a crime thriller set in a community deeply connected to its environment, and interwoven with the heartache, fears, dreams and secrets of its people.
“At the heart of it all is Jackie, a character who embodies the wildness of the place we’re depicting. She’s free-spirited, compassionate, and determined, with a steely resolve that makes her truly of the land. We’re absolutely thrilled to have Kelly Reilly bringing Jackie to life.”