EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Colin Firth has been cast opposite Jack Lowden in Apple TV‘s untitled drama based on Metropolis from Philip Kerr’s bestselling book series Berlin Noir. Oscar winner Peter Straughan wrote the adaptation, which is directed by Tom Shankland.
Produced by Bad Wolf and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s PlayTone, the untitled series is currently filming in Berlin. It marks a reunion for Firth and Straughan after the 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on John le Carré’s book, which was co-written by Straughan and co-starred Firth.
The Berlin Noir 14-book series features detective Bernie Gunther; Apple TV’s adaptation begins with Metropolis and his origin story in 1928. Bernie (Lowden) is a police officer, newly promoted to the intimidating and elite Berlin Murder Squad, and must investigate what seems to be a serial killer targeting victims on the fringes of society. Bernie’s Berlin is a city of unprecedented freedom and dizzying turbulence, the Nazis just a distant nightmare waiting in the wings. With the political and social world shifting to a new norm, we see Bernie fighting for truth, whatever the cost.
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Firth will play Paul Lohser, a brilliant but prickly Murder Detective with the Berlin Police. Meticulous, anti-social, well-educated, he’s everything Bernie (Lowden) isn’t. And as his partner and unlikely mentor, Lohser is Bernie’s best and only hope of catching the killer.
Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch and Ryan Rasmussen executive produce for Bad Wolf, alongside Straughan and Shankland; Hanks and Goetzman executive produce for PlayTone. Kerr’s widow, novelist Jane Thynne, who owns the copyright in the Bernie Gunther novels through their company Thynker Ltd c/o United agents, serves as consulting producer.
Firth will next be seen in Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series on Prime Video set for premiere March 4. He also stars in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming UFO movie Disclosure and he reprises his role of Harry Hart alongside Taron Egerton in Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming Kingsman: The Blue Bloods. Firth is represented by Independent Talent and CAA.