Image Credit: Netflix
Harlan Coben’s incredibly successful partnership with Netflix continues to expand. Like to follow Global UK Hits fool me once and 2026 Go awayNetflix is bringing us a brand new British adaptation of Cobain’s 2007 thriller, Forest.
If that title sounds familiar, it should! This is the second time Netflix is adapting this specific novel, following the 2020 Polish mini-series of the same name (W Glebi Lasu). However, this new production brings the story to the UK, armed with an all-star British cast and the creative powerhouse behind Netflix’s biggest recent thrillers.
Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming 8-part UK adaptation Forest.
what is the plot of Forest?
Netflix has officially released the synopsis for the UK transfer, which will feature eight 60-minute episodes:
“Twenty years ago, Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland’s sister Camille disappeared from a summer camp in the woods, a loss that has torn their family apart. Now a top barrister and a devoted single father to ten-year-old daughter Cammy, Cope has rebuilt his life. But when a man’s body turns up – twenty years after Camille was allegedly murdered – Cope becomes convinced that his sister may also have come out of the woods alive. He sets out to uncover this. Determined to find the truth, Cope reunites with his first love, Lucy Silverfield, and together they begin to search for answers, unearthing years of lies, cover-ups, and family secrets that threaten to destroy everything he has built.
The series remains mostly faithful to the original book, featuring Paul as a widowed father reunited with his first love, Lucy (whose last name has been changed from Gold to Silverfield), and the casting suggests it will also include the book’s intense secondary blackmail subplot featuring characters like EJ Jenrette. While the central twists remain intact, the series naturally moves the action from New Jersey to the UK, shifting Paul’s profession from a county prosecutor to a top British barrister. Fans of the novel should also keep an eye out for “Uncle Sosh” – a character deeply connected to the book’s intense detective subplot – whose addition to the cast list signals that the show won’t shy away from the original story’s darkest family secrets.
Image Credit: Netflix
Who is in the cast?
The cast list is incredibly stacked, headlined by tom bateman as Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland and Michelle Keegan As his first love, Lucy Silverfield. Notably, this production is bringing back some familiar faces from previous Harlan Coben smash hits to delight eagle-eyed fans.
Harlan Cobain’s alumni are returning
- Michelle Keegan As Lucy Silverfield. (Also known as: Brassic, Our Girl)
- Cobain Universe: Keegan makes his long-awaited return to the Kobeverse after leading the global 2024 phenomenon, fool me onceAs Maya Stern.
- Tracy-Ann Oberman As Jessica Kinberg. (Also known as: Friday Night Dinner, EastEnders)
- Cobain Universe: Oberman appears to be reprising his role (his character has the same name) from the 2026 Cobain entry, Go away.
We’re told there’s also another returning cast member, who was announced today…
New in Cobain Universe
- tom bateman (Behind Her Eyes, Death on the Nile, Love Hypothesis) Paul as ‘Cope’ Copeland
- Mandeep Dhillon (After Life, Mobland) Lorraine as Muse
- pierce quigley (gentleman, little prophet) as Ira Silverfield
- Rade Sherbedgia (Slow Horses, Downton Abbey) as uncle sosh
- James Buckley (The Inbetweeners, White Gold) as Lonnie Berger
- shannon watson (jetty, insulting) as shannon johnson
- Pamela Nomvete (Andor, Nightsleeper) as Mrs. Peters
- amelia eve (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Leopard Skin) as Raya Stone
- kerry howard (he and she, brainless) as Greta Cole
- roger barclay (Industry, Endor) As EJ Jenrette
- simon lowe (Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Kirkmoor) as Bob Cole
- dean fagan (time, missed call) DS as Steve York
- tom allen (The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Titanic) as Flynn Hickory
- Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch, call the midwife) DC as Daisy Dillon
- christopher harper (call the babysitter, try) as Wayne Steubens
Image courtesy of Netflix
Who is behind the series?
if you loved fool me once And Go awayyou are in luck. Forest Reunites the exact creative dream team responsible for Netflix’s most popular British thrillers.
The series is produced by Manchester-based Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios), with Harlan Coben serving as an executive producer through his company, Final Twist Productions. The creative team includes:
- Creator and Executive Producer: harlan cobain
- Head Writer & Executive Producer: danny brocklehurst
- Executive Producer: Nicola Schindler, Richard Fee, and Charlotte Cobain
- Author: Charlotte Cobain, Tom Farrelly, and Joe Forrest
- Manufacturer: Will McDonagh
- Director: Andy DeEmmoni (episodes 1–3), Claire Taylor (episodes 4–6), and Ishtar Sahota (episodes 7–8)
- Casting Director: orla maxwell
Elsewhere, down the line, key production staff include production executive Rachel Jones, line producer Lesley Crooks-Parsons, associate producer Sam Benn and production manager Joan Barba. Keeping the daily shoots running smoothly are assistant directors Jean-Paul Lebon and Libby Nunn, along with location and unit managers Martha Gledhill, James Muirhead and Ian MacDonald. The doc also credits key members of the behind-the-scenes team, including Joseph Taylor, Marianna Machova, Abbie Fletcher, Anna Grant, Laura Wilkinson, runner Lola Galliano (whose call sheet we saw!), Maria Gabrielato and Daniel Rill, as well as stills photographer Ben Blackall.
Harlan Coben expressed his enthusiasm for the project:
“The Woods is a haunting and very personal story. It’s everything you’d expect from us – twisty, turning, gasp – but fundamentally a story of old love and longing. Working with a cast led by Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pierce Quigley, James Buckley, Tom Allen – it’s an embarrassment of riches.”
Head writer Danny Brocklehurst said:
“It’s such a pleasure to be working on another twisty emotional thriller with Netflix. And what a great cast we’ve assembled. It’s a dream to reunite with Michelle Keegan and it’s a pleasure to work with huge talents like Tom Bateman, Pierce Quigley, Kerry Howard and James Buckley. We’re so lucky.”
What is the production status?
Forest is officially in production and is the 14th title from bestselling author Harlan Coben produced for Netflix. The new series follows the huge success of 2026 Go away and 2024 fool me once. Filming began on 28 April and began in Bolton, with the rest of the series also being filmed throughout the north of England for the foreseeable future.
Given the 8-episode count and the current production timeline, we’ll likely see Forest Coming to our screens sometime in 2027. Netflix loves to release these British Cobain thrillers right around the New Year, so keep your eyes peeled!
Also, don’t forget that this is just one of Cobain’s many adaptations. Includes titles currently available to stream on Netflix Run away, missing you, fool me once, gone for good, stranger, stay close, innocent, just one look, caught, And Safe.
i will find you The next film, scheduled for release sometime this year, will star Britt Lowery and Logan Browning. Netflix is also in pre-production myron boliterwhich is scheduled to begin production in New York this summer, and all we ever wanted Jessica Goldberg is also reportedly still in active development.
You can find the complete guide to Harlan Coben on Netflix here.
Are you excited to go back? Forest? Let us know in the comments!
