Stephen Graham isn’t done dealing with murder. The creator and star of the hit Netflix series Adolescence will be returning to the small screen in a drama about a serial killer with Liev Schreiber and Zazie Beetz, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show is yet to be titled, but it is said to be based on a series of best-selling crime novels by Lars Kepler. Kepler’s novels include titles like The Spider, The Mirror Man, Lazarus, The Rabbit Hunter, Stalker, The Sandman, The Fire Witness, The Nightmare and The Hypnotist.
Lars Kepler is the pen name of the married couple Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, and the series will reportedly be based on the Joona Linna series. However, it will be switching the Swedish location to the U.S. The description for the series reads, “Jonah Lynn (Schreiber), an ex-soldier turned homicide detective, tired of working the tough streets of Philadelphia, moves to a small town in western Pennsylvania for a quiet life. But as the town and his family come under attack from the diabolically cunning serial killer Jurek Walter (Graham), Jonah must protect all that he holds dear. When the desperate search for Jurek’s last missing victim forces Jonah to send his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer (Beetz), up against Jurek, how far will Jonah go?”
Rowan Joffe (Tin Star, 28 Weeks Later) and John Hlavin (Shooter, The Man Who Fell to Earth) will be adapting the novels for television and will serve as showrunners for the series. Additionally, Tim Van Patten (The Sopranos, Masters of the Air) is on board to direct the first two episodes. Patten is also attached to executive produce with Joffe and Hlavin.
Meanwhile, Netflix is eager to capitalize on Adolescence, despite the story not lending itself to a continuation. Producers Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters hadn’t ruled anything out either way. Graham stated, “Possibly, let’s see how the figures are. But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.” And while Walters would be giddy to work with Netflix again, she says, “A prequel to Adolescence, that’s certainly not going to happen. But there’s so much mileage in the one-shot and so much mileage in investing into human nature again and looking at something else. But yeah, everything’s looking good … everyone’s happy, shall we say?”
