The new Harlan Coben series coming to Netflix on Jan. 1 uses the title of John Waite’s hit “Missing You,” just like its book version. No surprise given that the famous author felt the title was “perfect” for the novel, as he revealed during a recent visit to London to present a first glimpse at the screen adaptation, which is expected to use song titles for each of its five episodes.
“I thought of the song right away,” Coben shared with reporters who got to see the first episode of the series. “In fact, John Waite and I, when the book came out, actually did a couple of events together.”
“Yeah, he did the singing,” the bestseller author quipped. “And when he heard about the show, he inundated me with emails like, ‘Here’s another version that I’ve done on the song,’ and ‘Here’s a duet I did with the song’.”
Coben recalled his reaction being “It’s alright, we got it!” before lauding Waite, “I just thought that song was perfect. It worked as a title. It worked as a meaning. It was one of the first things that I was thinking about when I came up with this.”
Asked if music was a key focus for her in the work process, Victoria Asare-Archer, the writer who adapted the novel for the screen, told reporters: “Music wasn’t necessarily what (I was) writing to. But I’ve worked on these series before, and they’re big, thriller-y, twisty, turning.”
The new five-part limited series, produced by Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios, follows the success Netflix had with Coben’s Fool Me Once.
Missing You is about Kat Donovan, portrayed by Slow Horses star Rosalind Eleazar, a detective specializing in Missing Persons. Eleven years ago, her fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters), the love of her life, vanished without a trace. Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she sees his face, and her world threatens to explode all over again. The experience will force her to dive back into the mystery surrounding the murder of her father (Lenny Henry) and uncover long-buried secrets from her past.
Missing You also stars Richard Armitage, Steve Pemberton, Jessica Plummer, Mary Malone, Lisa Faulkner, and James Nesbitt, among others.