Keira Knightley as you've never seen her before in new Netflix thriller series

Keira Knightley has done many things in her so-far illustrious career, but it's fair to say she's never necessarily been a full-on action heroine. While her roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean series did involve some swordplay and maybe the odd musket, her new role for Netflix looks like it's on a different level entirely.

Black Doves got its first trailer recently, and looks like it'll play Knightley against type, as a viciously efficient spy who's been living a double life. That life is clearly going to be ripped to shreds by violent assassins to kick off a crazy series of events.

Black Doves | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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She's not the only big-name actor in Black Doves, either. Ben Whishaw in on-hand with a surprisingly hairy look to play someone who seems a lot like an ex-colleague of hers, now chipping in to help her survive. Plus, Happy Valley's unbelievably impressive Sarah Lancashire will be behind the scenes pulling strings.

The trailer isn't too secretive, either – it gives us a good look at some pretty gnarly action scenes, including Knightley defending herself from two assassins with the aid of a kitchen knife and her gun. Rescued by a shotgun-toting Whishaw, she ends the scene literally covered in blood, swearing like a trooper and ready for revenge. We also get to see a few different looks that she'll have during the six-part series, from hair changes to killer outfits.

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All of that serves to confirm that this is indeed Knightley as we haven't seen her before, and it underlines the fact that this sort of action-thriller is really in vogue right now. Think John Wick, Nobody, Ballerina and more – everyone's queuing up to take their turn as a grizzled action lead.

Netflix will be hoping that Black Doves can conjure up the same word-of-mouth success that the John Wick franchise has enjoyed over the last half-decade, and Knightley will doubtless hope it can help people see a few more levels in her game. Even a hint of that level of reception would count as a win, one that could continue to see Netflix sit at the top of many people's lists of the best streaming services.