Gugu Mbatha-Raw leads Sky thriller Possession exploring a haunting colonial legacy

Sky has released a first look image from its upcoming thriller Possession, confirming the new title for the series previously announced as Inheritance.

The five-part limited series is created and written by Karla Crome (Something Very Bad is Going to Happen) and directed by Storm Saulter (Better Mus’ Come, Sprinter). It stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonny Lee Miller, Sheldon Shepherd and Bel Powley.

Mbatha-Raw plays Claudia, an ambitious young lawyer who travels from the UK to Jamaica to contest an inheritance claim made by local man Cudjoe East (Sheldon Shepherd) against wealthy aristocrat Oliver Connaught (Jonny Lee Miller). The case takes a more unsettling turn when Claudia realises the disputed estate – a former plantation known as Hope Hill – is the same place that has long haunted her dreams.

As the investigation deepens, the story begins to uncover connections between the plantation’s violent past and the inequalities that persist in the present.

The series also features Nadean Rawlins, Sean Gilder, Olunike Adeliyi, Richard Dillane, Diveen Henry, Jack Bandeira, Shantol Jackson, Jeff Crossley and Safina Simpson.

Produced by Snowed-In in association with Sky Studios, Possession is based on an original story by Jefferson Bannis, with Crome and Saulter also serving as executive producers alongside Mbatha-Raw and Miller.

Set between Bristol and Jamaica, the series blends psychological mystery with historical themes, exploring the legacy of colonialism through a contemporary legal drama.

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Possession will launch on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland in 2026.