Exclusive: Undeclaredthe Ukrainian war thriller series that won first prize at the 2023 Series Mania event, has found its lead.
Paul Wesley, who plays the title role Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Which is heading into its third season, and is famous for its heroism The Vampire Diarieswill star in the six-part limited series.
Created by Polish writer Filip Cieszynski, who wrote with Ukrainian Zhanna Ozerna, the series comes from Polish production company Match & Spark along with Los Angeles-based 5X Media, which has just joined the project as co-producer and marks the first European-based company. Written series.
Set against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the series follows the journey of Paul (Wesley), a former soldier turned taxi driver in Poland. After receiving a desperate call from his wife in Kiev on the day of the invasion, he races against time, crossing the border to guide his family to safety amid chaos and unimaginable terror. Over the phone, he leads them through a landscape of fear and violence, heightening their sense of urgency as they struggle to survive in the face of insurmountable odds.
Inspired by the true events that occurred on the day of the Russian invasion, the series will follow Paul's quest across war-torn terrain but through his own internal battles for redemption and resilience.
David Straiton, who directed episodes of the series Magnum P, the good doctor and MacGyverHe will direct the series, which is a four-country co-production between Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and the United States. Straiton made a number of volunteer trips to Ukraine to assist the International Legion.
It will be filmed primarily in English with some Ukrainian and Polish. Production is scheduled to begin in Eastern Europe in the winter of 2025-2026. The film will be produced by Match & Spark's Anna Rosalska and Tarek Hashhoud, 5X Media's Alon Shtrozman and Limur Gut Ronen, Toy Cinema's Dmytro Sukhanov, 2Brave Productions' Natalia Lipet, and Electric Sheep's Saar Yogev.
“In a world torn by war, I'm excited to bring the human side of this struggle to life through the lens of one man and his family,” Wesley said. “I hope viewers connect with Paul's struggle and take away something meaningful about life, values and resilience from his journey and a renewed understanding of the human spirit under pressure.”
Match & Spark's Anna Rosalska added: “Our producing partners welcome Paul Wesley on board for this passionate project. We are thrilled to have 5X bring her incredible creative and sales skills to the table.” Undeclared And help bring this amazing series to the world. And with David Straiton lending his directorial vision and on-the-ground experience in Ukraine, we have all the elements in place to bring this engaging and meaningful series to life.
“5X Media is thrilled to join such an incredible group of talent to tell this incredibly timely story,” said 5X Partner Limor Gut Ronen. Undeclared Embodying a universal family story in a world of conflict, it dares to take audiences deep into the personal toll of modern war – and stands as the first series of its kind to confront these themes in the context of the Ukrainian conflict.
