Jeff Daniels plays a spy who talks the world’s deadliest assassins into retiring in Shane Black’s new series
Shane Black’s Bannerman, a spy drama for Netflix and AMC, has lined up a familiar face to lead — and you’ll want to know who.
You know you're in for something interesting when you see both Shane Black and Jeff Daniels attached to a TV project these days. The latest is Bannerman, an upcoming drama series spun out of John R. Maxim's long-running spy novels. Black is running the show alongside Craig Silverstein, and it's apparently the first time Netflix and AMC Studios have decided to join forces on scripted TV. If that co-production sounds like a bit of a minefield, wait till you hear the plot.
Bannerman will be the launch title under the new AMC Studios and Netflix partnership, airing on AMC in the US and Canada before hitting Netflix 90 days later.
The setup goes like this: Paul Bannerman, the main character from the books, is an ex-super-spy who manages to convince a cabal of the world's nastiest assassins to hang up their silencers and try normal life in Connecticut's leafy suburbs. Of course, the world isn't done with them—old enemies, residual murderous tendencies, government paranoia, and the world's nosiest ex-cop are all gunning for one last bit of chaos.
Jeff Daniels Isn't Actually Bannerman
Here's an odd twist—they've hired Jeff Daniels for the big role, but he's not actually playing Bannerman. Instead, Daniels is set to star as Raymond Lesko, an infamous NYPD detective so bent on revenge he got himself kicked off the force, and now works hotel security. Haunted (of course) by his murdered partner, Lesko gets dragged back into the muck when he discovers his daughter has started seeing a bloke who might be even dodgier than himself. So for Daniels, more of the grizzled, slightly tragic territory, rather than the ice-cold killer archetype—a bit left field, if you ask me.
The Creative Team (aka, the Shane Black Show)
Shane Black—that's the bloke behind Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys—is writing and executive producing. Not just that, he's directing the first two episodes as well. Craig Silverstein is running the writer's room and executive producing alongside. So there's some pedigree on both pulp and prestige fronts.
The books themselves cover five instalments, for those interested: The Bannerman Solution, The Bannerman Effect, Bannerman's Law, Bannerman's Promise, and Bannerman's Ghosts.
Where and How You Can Watch (It's Complicated)
And because it couldn't be simple, the show's release plan is a proper Rubik's Cube. Bannerman will air first on AMC in the US and Canada. Ninety days after the finale, the whole thing arrives on Netflix for those same viewers. Elsewhere—specifically Australia, New Zealand, and Spain—each episode launches on both AMC and Netflix at the same time, while the rest of the world gets it exclusively through Netflix. Expect the press materials to come with a flowchart. More official casting news is apparently yet to drop.
AMC Global boss Dan McDermott made it fairly clear how ambitious they think this launch is, calling Bannerman:
"...a smart, high-octane thrill ride of a series, powered by an extraordinary creative team. This is the perfect premium drama to kick off our first co-production with Netflix, and we are thrilled to continue evolving and expanding our partnership by jointly developing and producing select original series for our respective platforms."