Jude Law and Naomie Harris to star in The Third Day world first immersive TV drama

Jude Law and Naomie Harris will star in the world's first immersive TV drama The Third Day, it has been announced.

The immersive theatre company Punchdrunk are collaborating with Sky Studios, HBO and Plan B on the project, which will include the staging of a live event as part of the TV series. Created by writer Dennis Kelly and Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk, The Third Day will tell three, stand-alone but interconnected stories that launch on 12 May.

The first part is "Summer", starring Law, written by Kelly and directed by Marc Munden. Told over three episodes that will air on Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now TV, it tells the story of a man who is drawn to a mysterious island off the British coast where he encounters a group of islanders set on preserving their traditions at any cost.

Following the episode, viewers will get the chance to become part of The Third Day world at a major immersive theatre event. Created by Punchdrunk and directed by Barrett, audiences will both inhabit the story as it happens live and be able to follow events online.

The Third Day concludes with "Winter", told over a further three episodes on Sky Atlantic and Now TV. Starring Naomie Harris, written by Kit de Waal, Dean O'Loughlin and Kelly and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe, it follows a strong-willed outsider who comes to the island seeking answers.

Co-creator Barrett comments: "To tell a story that spans TV and live action has been a long held ambition of mine. The Third Day will be both a TV show and a world you can enter, giving viewers the chance to live and breathe the narrative."

Kelly adds: "I wanted to make a series that was unsettling and disturbing but that also spoke to fears that ran deeper than horror. The themes of The Third Day have long been obsessions of mine – it is about loss and hope and how both of those things can distort the mind in surprising and brutal ways."

Further details of the live event including how to apply for tickets are to be announced.