Now that Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond seems to be just about over, considering how Spectre ended, it looks like he’s ready to explore unfamiliar territory: American TV. Craig is widely known for his roles in films, but before his film career took off, he acted on TV in the U.K. Earlier this week it was announced the Bond star will be headlining Purity, a limited series adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s novel by the same name which was published last September. Joining Franzen in writing the novel-to-screen adaptation is Todd Field.
Purity may already have a big name for a headlining actor, but the series has yet to receive the official greenlight because networks are still engaged in a bidding war for the project. According to Variety, the producers are looking for a 20 episode order, and negotiations are still in the early stages, meaning the series could still land anywhere. Producer Scott Rudin is reported to be approaching cable networks such as Showtime and FX and online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
Purity was published back in September and follows the story of a young woman by the name of Purity who goes by the nickname Pip. Pip is an American woman who is still trying to find herself after having an odd upbringing in Northern California. After graduating from college, she drifts between jobs and different parts of the world until she meets Andreas, Craig’s character who is a charismatic German provocateur. Pip interns for Andreas as a way to try and discover herself, and the internship taker her to South America where Andreas’s organization specializes in trafficking all kinds of secrets.
According to Deadline, while Purity is being pitched as a limited series, it could go beyond 20 episodes. Deadline also reports that Showtime has made an offer that aligns with the vision the producers have for the series, but nothing has been confirmed.
If you are wondering what this means as far as the James Bond franchise is concerned, well, nothing is definitive. There were rumors Spectre was the last Bond film starring Craig, and he has not signed on for another.