Loki star to lead new Doctor Who spin-off series from showrunner Russell T Davies

Loki
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The War Between the Land and the Sea, a new Doctor Who spin-off, is officially in the works. The news was announced during the Doctor Who panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, which saw the Doctor and Ruby Sunday actors Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson and showrunner Russell T Davies in attendance.

The new miniseries is set to follow UNIT, the fictional military organization that appears throughout the original show. Per the spin-off's official synopsis, "When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."

Loki's Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Being Human's Russell Tovey will lead the cast of the miniseries, alongside Doctor Who alumni Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient, who will reprise their roles as UNIT Commander in Chief Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Christofer Ibrahim. 

Dylan Holmes-Williams, who directed the Doctor Who season 1 episodes '73 Yards' and 'Dot and Bubble,' will helm the new series, with filming set to kick off next month.

"I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast," Davies, who's on board as showrunner, writer, and executive producer, said in a statement. "And this is a huge, muscular, thrilling drama, which will shake The Whoniverse to its foundations.  When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble."

The War Between the Land and the Sea doesn't have a release date yet. For more from SDCC throughout the weekend, head on over to our SDCC 2024 live blog and SDCC 2024 schedule.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.