Javier Bardem will play a Miami billionaire for HBO — Ozark's writer and Matthew Vaughn are making it
Javier Bardem will front a new HBO original series — and the comparison it’s drawing might surprise you.
Here we go: Javier Bardem is making his way to HBO, set to star in a financial drama that sounds like The Wolf of Wall Street has wandered off to Miami and set up shop amongst the palm trees and superyachts. And honestly, who better to play a ruthless billionaire than Bardem, who can do 'power' and 'dangerous' in three languages without breaking a sweat?
HBO bills the series as 'Miami is turning paradise into power — Wall Street South — a subtropical collision of industry titans, elite hedge funds, staggering wealth, ruthless competition, sex, nightlife and fun on an industrial scale. Into this sun-soaked arena comes a visionary billionaire who collects the brilliant, the hungry and the dangerous, then turns their ambitions loose on the markets that power America. He chases something bigger: the power to shift the center of economic gravity to Miami — and decide how long the party lasts.'
Who's Making It?
HBO has officially given the go-ahead to The Spread, with Bardem not just starring but executive producing as well, which tells you they're not doing this by halves. Matthew Vaughn—yes, that Matthew Vaughn, from Kingsman and all the slow-motion umbrella fights—will direct and executive produce. The script's being handled by Bill Dubuque (who gave us Ozark), teamed up with Sean Sansiveri. Both will executive produce, alongside Bardem and Vaughn. It’s starting to look like a finance-world who’s who on the production side as well.
The show is being made in partnership with Fifth Season TV Studio, while Brad Weston gets a producer credit for Makeready. Ian Stratford and Michael Bloom are on the list for Topic Studios—which means there’s more companies attached here than most FTSE 100 start-ups.
- Bardem: starring as the big Miami billionaire, also executive producer
- Matthew Vaughn: directing (and executive producing—different from swinging an umbrella, but never mind)
- Bill Dubuque & Sean Sansiveri: writing and executive producing
- Brad Weston, Ian Stratford, Michael Bloom: all down as executive producers via their studios
What's the Show About?
This one's all set in Miami—which, if you haven't checked, is currently being swarmed by hedge funds, tech bros, and anyone keen on swapping Manhattan's snowdrifts for sun and club nights. Bardem’s playing a billionaire out to turn Miami from party town into a proper financial capital. So, expect plenty of excess, but also the classic HBO mix of dodgy dealings, cut-throat ambition, and (probably) some scene-chewing boardroom stare-downs.
Apparently, Miami’s blend of "gilded chaos" was precisely what HBO has been after for ages, according to executive Francesca Orsi. Frankly, given how much the city's changed in the last five years, this almost counts as a period piece already.
Other Bardem Adventures
On top of this, Bardem’s been keeping busy elsewhere. He recently turned up on Apple TV’s Cape Fear as Max Cady (that’s right, Bardem as a tattooed psychopath—Hollywood really does like typecasting). He’s also set to appear later this year in Dune: Part 3 and Bunker. So, if you’re a Bardem completionist, your diary's getting full.
The Spread is officially underway at HBO, but there’s no announced premiere date yet.