There’s a chance Tom Hardy (Bronson, Venom) and Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker) will team up to star in Lazarus, a serial killer drama series in early development at Apple TV+. I said, “there’s a chance” because the project is, technically, “nearing development,” according to Deadline. In other words, the ink still needs to be dry, and deals are still in the works. Lazarus is a co-production between A+E Studios and Range Studios, with plans to sell the package to Apple.
Based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (pseudonym for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), Lazarus gives off The Silence of the Lambs vibes while telling a dark tale about murder and a search for the truth.
Here’s a description of Lars Kepler’s Lazarus via Deadline‘s exclusive report:
In the series, an emaciated young man is found wandering along a train track. Thirteen years earlier, he and his sister went missing, presumed victims of the notorious serial killer Jurek Walter. To find the sister, police detective Saga Bauer must go undercover in the maximum-security psychiatric hospital where Jurek Walter has been kept since his arrest years ago.
When Hardy and Beetz join the project, Hardy will play Jurek Walter, and Beetz will play Inspector Saga Bauer. Øystein Karlsen will write, executive produce, and direct the series.
After wrapping her part as Van for FX’s Atlanta, Beetz is ready to return to DC Elseworlds for Joker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Harry Lawtey, and Jacob Lofland. Todd Phillips returns to direct the sequel, which we hear includes musical elements and psychological drama.
Meanwhile, Hardy has several projects in the pipeline, including Gareth Evans’ thriller Havoc, Andrew Dominik’s Navy SEAL drama War Party, Jeff Nichols’ crime drama The Bikeriders, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road sequel Mad Max: The Wasteland, and the Kelly Marcel-directed Venom 3.
What do you think about Beetz and Hardy starring in a serial killer drama with Silence of the Lamb vibes? What bizarre accent do you think Hardy will use for the new character? Feel free to let us know in the comments.