Harlan Coben reveals which British acting legend he wants to work with again on a Netflix adaptation

by

I’m so excited – it feels like just a couple of weeks until the new Harlan Coben series, Run Away, hits Netflix! It’s coming out on New Year’s Day, and I can’t wait to watch it.

This new eight-episode series centers on Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), a man who appears to have a perfect life – a good job, a family, and a loving daughter. But his world is turned upside down when his oldest daughter, Paige, runs away. A seemingly simple attempt to find her in a park quickly turns violent, setting off a chain of events that forces Simon to uncover the truth.

Run Away follows the pattern of other Harlan Coben adaptations, featuring a well-known cast including Nesbitt, Ruth Jones, Alfred Enoch, and Minnie Driver. Coben’s Netflix series are known for attracting popular actors.

The author’s previous series include popular shows like “Missing You,” “Stay Close,” and “Safe,” starring actors such as Richard Armitage, Ashley Walters, Cush Jumbo, Jo Joyner, and Michael C. Hall. If the author could bring back any actor from those shows for a new adaptation, who would it be?

Joanna Lumley, known for her role in ‘Absolutely Fabulous,’ appeared with Richard Keegan in ‘Fool Me Once.’ The series was a huge success for Netflix, quickly becoming one of their most popular shows ever and reaching the top of their viewing charts worldwide.

Coben did add: “We’ve worked with Richard Armitage four times, of course.”

I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben’s shows, and I’ve really come to expect Richard Armitage in them – he’s been in four already: The Stranger, Fool Me Once, Stay Close, and Missing You! So, I was surprised to see he wasn’t in Run Away. Even the writer, Danny Brocklehurst, playfully wondered the same thing – he joked about why Richard wasn’t part of this one!

Coben continued, saying they’ve been incredibly fortunate with their collaborators, especially Rosalind Eleazar. He emphasized that they always strive to create a positive and enjoyable work environment for everyone involved.

Kaye is well-known for his work in popular shows like Game of Thrones, After Life, and Vera, and he also appeared in The Stranger in 2020.

Run Away features James Nesbitt, who fans may recognize from his previous roles in other Harlan Coben adaptations like Stay Close and Missing You. The series also includes a clever reference to another actor Coben and director Brocklehurst have both worked with – Alfred Enoch, who plays Detective Isaac Fagbenle.

We previously collaborated with actor O-T Fagbenle on Harlan Coben’s show, The Five, in 2016. We were curious if including him in the new series was just a friendly acknowledgement, or if Coben was signaling his desire to work with Fagbenle again in the future.

“Both,” he told us. “We love OT, both of us.”

I recall telling O-T Fagbenle that I’d named a character after him in my book. He immediately expressed interest in playing the role, which was funny because it was essentially asking him to play himself! Alfred Enoch ended up being a fantastic replacement. We really enjoy working with O-T and hope to collaborate with him again in the future.

Want to see this content?

We can’t display this content because of a security measure from Google reCAPTCHA. If you’re signed in to Contentpass, please sign out to see it.

The new series, Run Away, will debut on Netflix on January 1st, 2026. A Netflix subscription starts at just £5.99 per month, and you can also watch on Sky Glass or Virgin Media.

Don’t miss out on Run Away! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app now to get daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing and freelancing, and holds a degree in English Literature.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2025-12-15 12:35