Nesbitt plays a Northern Irish police detective, Tom Brannick, who is dragged into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse when a car containing a suicide note is pulled out of Strangford Lough.

Brannick connects the note to an infamous cold case that is deeply personal and puts him on the hunt for a legendary assassin.  

Nesbitt commented: “It’s great to be back making a drama in and about Northern Ireland, which now has a film and television industry as good as any in the world.

“We have compelling scripts from a brilliant young writer who was raised in County Down, which are very exciting and psychologically complex.”

Bloodlands will be executive produced by Jed Mercurio for HTM Television and BBC One.

With this being his first original drama series commission, Chris Brandon said he was delighted to tell a story that was close to home and the people and places that raised him. 

He added: “To be telling it with James Nesbitt, Jed Mercurio and the incredible team at HTM is a total privilege.”

Mercurio said: “It's been incredibly rewarding to discover Chris Brandon's work and to witness the development of an outstanding new voice in contemporary television thriller writing, added to which everyone at HTM Television is honoured an actor of James Nesbitt's brilliance will star in our debut production.”

Filming will take place in and around Belfast and Strangford Lough, with further casting set to be announced at a later date.