American Hostage and Dead Man’s Wire
Prepare for a bit of dejá vù. The trailer for MGM+’s new series American Hostage has been released and it may seem a little familiar to you. That’s because earlier this year, Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire was released with Bill Skarsgård starring in the true story of Tony Kiritsis, a desperate individual who took a person hostage at gunpoint and demanded to be put live on the radio. American Hostage looks to adapt the same story, but will focus on the perspective of the radio host, played here by Jon Hamm.
Amazon MGM’s American Hostage
One key difference is that American Hostage will be an eight-episode series as opposed to a film. The show stars Jon Hamm, Giovanni Ribisi, Mireille Enos, Kristoffer Polaha, William Jackson Harper, Jonathan Tucker and Kat Cunning.
The official synopsis reads,
“Based on the acclaimed first season of the scripted podcast of the same name, American Hostage is a psychological thriller set in the 1970s that tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman, a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or- death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.”
Shawn Ryan, the producer of CBS’ SWAT and Netflix’s The Night Agent, writes along with Eileen Myers. Adam Arkin and Nina Lopez Corrado helm episodes of the series. Hamm, Ryan and Meyers also executive produce along with Connie Tavel, Marney Hochman, Sharon Hoffman, Shawn Christensen, Gabriel Mason, Jen Roskind, and directors Adam Arkin and Nina Lopez Corrado. Sony Pictures Television produces the show.
“I grew up in the Midwest when this happened and never heard about it. The more research I did, the more I listened to the podcast, it’s just this incredible sequence of events,” Ryan told The Hollywood Reporter. “This idea of when a newsman goes from covering the news to being part of it — is it worth it to do that to save a life or two? — the ethical questions we’re addressing have a ton of resonance to the anger that exists in our country right now.” Amazingly, both Myers’ parents worked for ABC News in the 1970s, giving her a unique insight into the scenario.
American Hostage debuts with two episodes on Sunday, September 20, 2026, and runs weekly until the finale on November 1, 2026.
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