Maggie Gyllenhaal has been confirmed as the lead in The Honourable Woman, a seven-part thriller for BBC Two and the Sundance Channel.

The drama comes from the pen of BAFTA-winning Hugo Blick, creator of The Shadow Line, and centres on Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), whose Zionist arms procurer father was assassinated in front of her and her brother when they were children.

The story picks up when she is a life peer in her thirties and on a personal quest to right some wrongs from her past – a quest set against the complex international political backdrop of Whitehall, Washington and the Middle East.

Gyllenhaal said of the fast-paced drama: “I couldn’;t put the scripts down. Nessa is such an exciting and intricate character. I can’;t wait to begin filming.”

Polly Hill exec produces for the BBC, along with Greg Brenman of Drama Republic; this will be the newly-formed indie”s first drama. Abi Bach produces along with Hugo Blick.

Further information on The Honourable Woman can be found on Production Intelligence, the online database of advance production news from The Knowledge.