What you need to know
- Steven Lightfoot has signed on to serve as showrunner for Shantaram.
- The executive producer has also inked a multi-year deal with Apple.
Reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Steven Lightfoot, known for his role as an executive producer for the Hannibal and The Punisher television series, has signed on to serve as showrunner for the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series Shantaram. In addition to signing on to the series, Lightfoot has also inked a multi-year deal with Apple.
Charlie Hunnam will star in the series, which follows the story of a man who runs from an Australian prison and find a new life in Bombay.
Shantaram is a big swing for Apple and marks the tech giant's first international play. The 10-episode series is based on the best-selling novel by Gregory David Roberts. Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) will play Lin, a man on the run from an Australian prison who looks to get lost in the teeming city of Bombay. Cut off from family and friends by distance and fate, he finds a new life in the slums, bars and underworld of India. The novel has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories worldwide and sold more than 6 million copies to date.
The original series is planned to be shot across both Australia and India, but production was halted back in February to allow more time for the script to be finalized.
The series will be shot across two continents in Australia and India, filming was paused in February — before the pandemic — and was poised to resume following the end of monsoon season. The planned delay was originally to allow creator and then-showrunner Singer to catch up on scripts. At the same time, a search began for a new showrunner with proven TV experience to work alongside Singer, who comes from the feature world.
It is currently unclear when filming will begin for Shantaram or when it will make its debut on Apple TV+.
100% exclusive content for the price of a cup of coffee.
With TV+, you can watch well-produced, big-budget TV shows from famed directors, and starring award-winning actors and actresses across all your Apple devices and with up to six members of your Family Sharing group.
