Frank Spotnitz, the producer of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, is creating a new series called Ransom, Variety reports.
CBS is teaming up with France’s TF1 and Canada’s Global for the 12-episode show. The series will star Luke Roberts (Black Sails). Spotnitz will serve as an executive producer for Ransom, which he created with David Vainola. The series is inspired by the professional experiences of Laurent Combalbert and Marwan Mery, who were crisis negotiators and partners. Not only that but both of them are considered to be among the top crisis negotiators in the world. Currently, they’re traveling around the world to help multinational corporations and governmental agencies with intricate negotiations and conflict resolution.
Ransom follows hostage and crisis negotiator Eric Beaumont (Roberts), whose team is called upon to save those that no one else can. Eric is able to understand criminals better than they can and he’ll use his insight into the human mind to resolve the most complicated kidnap and ransom cases. No matter what the stakes are, Eric doesn’t resort to violence, even when confronted by some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Even though Eric is an expert at persuading others, he often has difficult relationships with those important to him. His family, friends, and colleagues sometimes question if Eric is being himself or who he needs to be in order to get what he wants.
The series will kick off with Eric guiding Maxine Carlson, a new member of the team who is eager to prove herself. However, a dangerous secret from Maxine’s past may pose a threat that even Eric can’t resolve.
“The world of crisis negotiation is incredibly compelling, as demonstrated by the fascinating real-life cases Laurent Combalbert has negotiated. Laurent has inspired a brilliant and complex character, and you can’t help but be moved seeing all the lives he’s saved around the world,” said Spotnitz. Glenn Geller, the President of CBS Entertainment added “As CBS continues to program year round, we are always looking for series that can fit seamlessly within our schedule and connect with our viewers. Ransom brings a compelling new approach to a character driven crime drama with a sense of urgency and closure in each episode.”
As of now, no announcement has been made as to Ransom will begin production.