Sheridan Smith’s upcoming ITV crime thriller has added an Oscar-nominated star to its cast — and the first images suggest the British police officer at the center of the story is about to encounter a formidable adversary.

Australian actress Jacki Weaver has joined Two Birds, playing Mrs Baxter, the fierce matriarch of a notorious local crime family.

Weaver, known for Silver Linings Playbook and Yellowstone, replaces Judy Davis, who has left the production because of scheduling conflicts.

A striking first-look image shows Weaver standing in a field holding a rifle, with a barn behind her — an immediate indication that Mrs Baxter isn’t someone Sheridan Smith’s character will be able to underestimate.

The six-part thriller has been filmed in Western Australia and follows a British police constable who travels halfway around the world looking for a fresh start.

Instead, she finds herself trapped inside a murder investigation where almost nobody appears easy to trust.

Sheridan Smith Plays Constable Izzie Cornwell

Smith leads the drama as Constable Izzie Cornwell.

Izzie leaves the UK and arrives in the remote Australian mining town of Dugdale hoping to put her old life behind her.

The move is supposed to represent a new beginning.

It doesn’t stay peaceful for long.

According to the official synopsis, a “disastrous misstep” pulls Izzie into an increasingly dangerous murder investigation.

As she searches for answers, she becomes caught in an “increasingly tight web of deceit, guilt, and rising danger.”

That investigation eventually puts her directly in the path of one of the area’s most powerful figures.

Mrs Baxter.

Jacki Weaver Is The Crime Family Matriarch

Weaver’s character isn’t simply another potential suspect.

Mrs Baxter sits at the center of a notorious local crime family and is fiercely protective of the people around her.

The murder investigation brings Izzie and Mrs Baxter face to face, with both women attempting to uncover the truth for very different reasons.

Mrs Baxter is determined to protect her family.

Izzie has a case to solve.

That collision places two strong characters on opposing sides of an investigation where loyalty, guilt and deception appear increasingly difficult to separate.

The first photograph of Weaver in character reinforces that impression.

Standing outdoors with a rifle in her hands, Mrs Baxter appears a long way from the kind of woman who will be intimidated by a newly arrived police officer.

Jacki Weaver Replaces Judy Davis

Weaver wasn’t originally expected to play the role.

Judy Davis had previously been attached to the production but has now exited because of scheduling conflicts.

Weaver steps into the part with a career spanning decades across Australian and international film and television.

She earned Academy Award nominations for her performances in Animal Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook and has more recently appeared in Yellowstone.

Her casting adds another major name to a drama already built around Smith.

Stephen Peacocke Plays Izzie’s Boss

 

Stephen Peacocke also has a prominent role as Matt, Izzie’s boss and a homicide detective.

First-look photographs show Peacocke alongside Smith at a crime scene, giving viewers an early glimpse at the police investigation driving the six episodes.

Peacocke is known for shows including Five Bedrooms and The Newsreader.

The wider ensemble mixes British and Australian talent.

Colin Friels, whose credits include Water Rats and Malcolm, has joined the production.

Fiona Button of The Split and Industry also stars, alongside Eva Morgan, who has appeared in The Gathering and This City Is Ours.

Harry Greenwood, Nic Cassim, Victoria Fowler, Lila McGuire, Kit Jeakings-Bull, Matthew Pearce, Sarah Roberts and Matt Day complete the announced cast.

Western Australia Becomes Part Of The Mystery

Rather than using Australia merely as a backdrop, Two Birds places its remote setting at the heart of the story.

The drama was filmed in Perth and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Its fictional mining town of Dugdale gives Izzie a particularly challenging environment in which to begin again.

She isn’t simply investigating a murder.

She’s doing it as an outsider.

She has arrived from Britain in a community with its own relationships, history and loyalties — including the influence of the Baxter family.

That leaves Izzie trying to understand the people around her while simultaneously working out who may be lying.

The geographical isolation also provides a stark visual contrast with the more familiar settings of many British police dramas.

The Writers Promise More Than A Straightforward Whodunnit

The series comes from writers Helen FitzGerald and Megan Palinkas.

FitzGerald previously worked on The Cry, while Palinkas’ credits include Heartbreak High.

Behind the camera are James Griffiths, director of The Ballad of Wallis Island, and Corrie Chen, whose credits include Good Cop/Bad Cop.

ITV Drama Commissioner Callum Dziedzic previously described the project as a “propulsive, twisty thriller with real humanity.”

He also singled out Smith as an ideal choice for the lead role.

“Sheridan is perfect in the lead and brings her inimitable warmth and depth to Izzie,” he said.

That combination suggests the series won’t rely solely on the mechanics of solving the murder.

Izzie’s personal journey — and whatever drove her to seek a fresh start on the other side of the world — appears equally important.

Sheridan Smith Returns To Crime Drama

Smith has built a career moving between comedy, musical theatre and some of British television’s most intense dramas.

This time, however, her character begins the story far removed from Britain.

Izzie arrives in Australia apparently hoping distance will give her the chance to start again.

Instead, one mistake places her inside an investigation involving a powerful local family.

The deeper she goes, the tighter the web around her becomes.

And Mrs Baxter has her own reasons for wanting the truth.

That makes the relationship between Smith and Weaver one of the most intriguing elements of the series.

Rather than presenting a simple police-versus-criminal confrontation, the premise puts two women with different loyalties on a collision course while both pursue answers.

First-Look Images Hint At A Very Different ITV Crime Drama

The early photographs emphasize the show’s Australian identity.

Smith is shown in police uniform investigating the rugged surroundings, while Peacocke appears beside her at a crime scene.

Weaver’s image is arguably the most striking.

The sight of Mrs Baxter calmly holding a rifle immediately establishes a different atmosphere from the drawing rooms, city streets and police stations associated with many ITV mysteries.

The remote mining-town setting offers wide landscapes but seemingly few places for secrets to remain buried forever.

For Izzie, that could make her supposed fresh start considerably more dangerous than the life she crossed the world to leave behind.

When Can Viewers Watch Two Birds?

Two Birds will consist of six episodes and will air on ITV1 and ITVX.

An official release date has not yet been announced.

For now, the combination of Sheridan Smith as an outsider police constable, Stephen Peacocke as her homicide-detective boss and Jacki Weaver as an armed crime-family matriarch offers a strong indication of the confrontation at the heart of the series.

Izzie came to Australia looking for another chance.

One disastrous mistake puts her inside a murder case.

And waiting on the other side of that investigation is Mrs Baxter — a woman who intends to protect her family while uncovering the truth herself.