Fresh off his haunting turns in the likes of “Black Mirror” and “Under the Banner of Heaven,” Rory Culkin is diving even deeper into the psychological abyss. He’s just been announced as the latest addition to Apple TV+’s upcoming, still-unnamed crime series based on the bestselling Joona Linna thrillers by Lars Kepler.
The show, currently filming in Pittsburgh, boasts a powerhouse cast: Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan”) stars as Jonah Lynn, an ex-soldier turned detective searching for peace in rural Pennsylvania — only to find himself dragged back into hell when a sadistic serial killer named Jurek Walter (played by Stephen Graham – “Adolescence”) targets his family and town. Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”) plays Saga Bauer, Jonah’s adopted daughter and FBI agent, who must face off against Jurek in a deadly game of wits.
Culkin steps in as Karl — a twitchy young idealist working at a high-security psychiatric facility. He signs up with noble intentions but soon finds himself responsible for one of the Institute’s most dangerous residents.
The series will also star Bill Camp (“The Queen’s Gambit”), playing small-town police chief Ellison — who’s presumably never seen anything like this come through his sleepy precinct.
The creatives behind the scenes include Tim Van Patten (directing the opening episodes), and co-showrunners Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin. Lars Kepler is the shared pseudonym of Swedish literary duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril whose books have racked up 18 million sales worldwide.
Production is underway now, with Apple TV+ teaming up with A+E Studios and Range Studios to bring the project to life. Executive producers include Schreiber and Beetz (via her own Sleepy Poppy banner), as well as Van Patten, Kepler (Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril), Oystein Karlsen, David Rysdahl, Dorothy Fortenberry, and Niclas Salomonsson.As for Culkin, you’ll next see him starring alongside Paris Jackson in the trippy indie flick Skinemax, directed by Adam Sigal.
