War of the Worlds returns for second season

The second series of Fox and Canal+’s drama series War of the Worlds, written and created by BAFTA award-winner Howard Overman (Misfits, Crazyhead, Merlin), will premiere on Mondays at 20:45 from 24 May on Fox (DStv 125, Starsat StarSat 131). The eight part series will premiere with a double bill of the first two episodes, with a single episode per week thereafter.

Set in France and the UK, the modern-day retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel has an ensemble cast, including Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), along with further returning cast members, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan, and Emilie de Preissac.

In the first series of War of the Worlds, an alien attack all but wiped out mankind, with just a handful of humans fighting to survive. And no one felt more rocked by the invasion than Emily (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who discovered she may have her own strange personal connection to the aliens. Series two of War of the Worlds sees our characters left reeling by the possibility that the invaders could be human. A tense fight to take back the planet awaits them. For some, the sheer desperation to survive will lead them to contemplate sacrificing one of their own…

Overman says: “It was always my intention in the first series of War of the Worlds that the intricacies of human relationships would be at its heart. Watching these complex characters brought to life by such a fantastic cast of actors was a joy, and it’s been a thrill returning to their stories for series two.”

“The first season of War of the Worlds brought a uniquely thrilling and action-packed drama with deep human emotion to viewers across the continent, and was an instant hit,” says Evert van der Veer, VP of media networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We are excited to join fans in the continuation of this gritty sci-fi story, just as we are to add this season to the existing content roster of the boldest, brightest and most unexpected live action and animation, that can only be found on Fox.”

A global hit, the first series of War of the Worlds achieved one of the highest viewing records on Canal+ on-demand service, as a Canal+ Creation Originale. Airing in more than 50 European and African markets on Fox, it was the most successful regional launch since 2016, and was the UK’s highest rated new Fox launch since 2012. War of the Worlds season one is among the highest-performing series on Epix in the US.