Apple TV has found a permanent showrunner for an upcoming original series. According to Deadline, Steven Lightfoot (Hannibal, The Punisher) will serve as showrunner for Shantaram. He will replace former showrunner, Eric Warren Singer (American Hustler, The International).
According to Deadline, Lightfoot joins the show as part of an overall, multi-year deal with Apple TV. In addition to running the series, he will write and executive produce. Additional producers include Steve Golin (Spotlight, Being John Malkovich), Andrea Barron (That Summer, Femme), Nicole Clemens (Tell Me Everything, Final Girls), and Richard Sharkey (Marco Polo, John Adams).
Based on the 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts (The Mountain Shadow, The Spiritual Path), Shantaram follows an escaped convict’s journey to redemption and forgiveness, according to Deadline. Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim) has been cast as Lin, a heroin addict who deserts a prison sentence in Australia to find refuge in Bombay, India’s underworld. To date, the novel has sold over six million copies, been published in 39 languages, and been made available in 42 territories.
According to Deadline, Lightfoot’s latest work is Netflix’s upcoming limited series Behind Her Eyes. Lightfoot is both creator and showrunner of the show based on the 2017 novel by English author Sarah Pinborough (13 Minutes, Cross Her Heart). Set for a 2021 debut, the psychological thriller follows a young British woman’s descent into madness after becoming entangled with a progressive married couple. The series is set to star Simona Brown (Him, Kiss Me First), Eve Hewson (The Knick, Robin Hood), Tom Bateman (Beecham House, Cold Pursuit), and Robert Aramayo (Gavelston, The Lord of the Rings).
Hunnam’s latest feature is the Oscar-buzz indie Jungleland with Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, ’71) and Johnathan Majors (Captive State, Lovecraft Country). He also starred in Guy Ritchie’s (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes) 2020 film The Gentlemen along with Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill, Dazed and Confused), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians, Monsoon) and Michelle Dockery (Defending Jacob, Good Behavior). The comedy action film is set for a future TV adaptation.