Sky has released the official trailer for its upcoming five-part supernatural thriller series Possession, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
The series is set to debut on August 6, 2026, on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK and Ireland.
Created and written by Karla Crome and directed by Storm Saulter, Possession follows Claudia (Mbatha-Raw), an ambitious mixed-race lawyer from Bristol.
She travels to Jamaica to handle a high-stakes inheritance dispute involving an aristocratic heir and a local man claiming reparations.
Plot and Cast
Claudia represents Oliver Connaught, played by Jonny Lee Miller, an aristocratic heir whose family plantation estate was unexpectedly bequeathed to a local man, Cudjoe East, portrayed by Sheldon Shepherd.
East asserts he is a 300-year-old formerly enslaved man claiming the historic Hope Hill estate as reparations.
The legal confrontation draws Claudia into a web of supernatural occurrences rooted in Caribbean Obeah traditions and European dark magic.
She is forced to confront her own disconnected Jamaican heritage.
The supporting ensemble includes Bel Powley, Sean Gilder, Olunike Adeliyi, Richard Dillane, Diveen Henry, Jack Bandeira, Shantol Jackson, Jeff Crossley, and Safina Simpson.
Production and Creative Vision
Production took place on location in Jamaica, utilizing real historic plantation grounds alongside reconstructed slave village settings. Director Storm Saulter emphasized his personal connection to the historical backdrop.
“I think I’ve been working my whole life towards this moment,” Saulter said. “With this series, I’m not just slipping history into the background.
I’m finding ways to make it entertaining and profound.”
Writer Karla Crome reflected on the thematic influences and the project's genre identity.
She likened the tone to classic Gothic literature and described the personal resonance of the central character's journey.
“What’s true for both me and Claudia is a disconnect between our Jamaican heritage,” Crome said.
“Her being drawn into this rich tapestry of her own personal identity and history, that she’s aware of, but not necessarily tuned into.”
Crome noted initial anxieties regarding spiritual depictions. “We were terrified of falling into Hollywood voodoo clichés,” she said.
However, early local screenings in Jamaica received positive feedback.
“When I was in the toilet afterwards, I overheard some local people talking about it, and they just kept saying, ‘It’s just so Jamaican.’
That is the best feedback I could possibly ask for!”
Lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw detailed her approach to selecting diverse roles. “I don’t want to do the same thing all of the time,” she said.
“It’s fun for me to go from a period drama to a romantic drama to a comedy – it keeps me stimulated.”
Mbatha-Raw highlighted the character development of Claudia.
“I was fascinated by Claudia because she’s caught between her professional obligations and her own personal history,” she said.
She also noted the sensory reality of filming at authentic historical sites in Jamaica.
“We wanted everything to feel as real as possible – the beauty of the colour, music and smells of Jamaica, but also its darkness.”
“It’s uncomfortable to talk about reparations, it’s hard to talk about slavery and how we make peace with that history,” Mbatha-Raw said.
“I think that’s what makes [the show] so compelling. You can’t just paper over the cracks of history.
If we don’t deal with it, it will find ways of haunting us.”
Executive producers for the project include Ruth Kenley-Letts, Jenny van der Lande, Neil Blair, Crome, Saulter, Sam Hoyle, Serena Thompson, Mbatha-Raw, and Miller.
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is handling international sales for the series produced by Snowed-In in association with Sky Studios.
