Kelly Reilly is busier than ever! After playing the popular Beth Dutton for six years, the actress has now landed a new role outside of Yellowstone. With the neo-western drama set to release its final season in November, Kelly is set to star in the Sky Original series. Under salt marshesfilming will begin later this year.
© Axelle/Bauer-GriffinSet in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, the crime thriller follows former detective and now teacher Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly), who is devastated after a storm when she finds the body of her eight-year-old student Cefin, who appears to have drowned. The tragedy sends shockwaves through the town and takes its toll on the local community, which only three years earlier had to deal with the sudden disappearance of Jackie’s niece Nessa – a case that remains unsolved to this day.
“Cefin’s death leads Jackie’s former partner, Detective Eric Bull, to return to Morfa Halen to lead the investigation in a community he has already failed once,” the synopsis reads. “Jackie and Bull are convinced the cases are connected. They must reconcile and try to uncover long-hidden secrets in Morfa before the storm breaks and all evidence is lost forever.”
Details about the cast are still scarce, but Claire Oakley, famous for her work on the 2019 feature film, Form and the Heist series Perpetrator (2023) is listed as lead writer, director, and showrunner.
Speaking about the project, Claire said: “Under Salt Marsh is a crime thriller set in a community deeply connected to its environment and interwoven with the grief, fears, dreams and secrets of its people.”
“At the heart of it all is Jackie, a character who embodies the wildness of the place we’re portraying. She’s free-spirited, compassionate and determined, with an iron determination that makes her a true countrywoman. We’re absolutely thrilled to have Kelly Reilly bring Jackie to life.”
For Kelly, the project is one of her first since graduating YellowstoneIn June, the A-lister revealed her hopes for Beth Dutton in season five. Speaking to TV Line, 47-year-old Kelly explained that she would like a happy ending for the character.
Instagram“I mean, I know the ending of the show, I’ve known it for six years,” she told the publication. “We all knew what the ending was going to be. We’re going to shoot that this summer.”
“But what would I wish for her? Peace, I guess. As possible as it is for any of us,” Kelly added. “Peace requires some investigation and devotion and letting go of old pain and hurt.”
