Slow Horses star Jack Lowden has been cast in Apple TV+'s upcoming drama series, which is an adaptation of Metropolis from Philip Kerr's globally bestselling Berlin Noir book series about iconic detective Bernie Gunther.
According to Deadline, the untitled series will be directed by BAFTA nominee Tom Shankland, while Peter Straughan (Conclave, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) will serve as showrunner and adapt the script.
Straughan will also executive produce the series, alongside Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman through their Playtone banner.
As HELLO!'s acting TV Editor, I've devoured every episode of Slow Horses and while Jack Lowden is perhaps best known for his starring role as River Cartwright on the show, he's got an impressive and varied CV of big and small screen credits behind him, from Christopher Nolan's war epic Dunkirk, to the BBC's Wolf Hall, and the romantic drama film, Benediction. I can't wait to see what he brings to Apple TV+'s new detective drama.
Keep reading for everything we know about the show so far.
What will happen in the new series?
The series tells the origin story of Bernie Gunther, a newly promoted police officer in the elite Berlin Murder Squad who must "investigate what seems to be a serial killer targeting victims on the fringes of society", according to a synopsis from Deadline.
It continues: "His 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."
There are 14 Bernie Gunther novels in total, which are bestsellers in the U.S. and the UK. Author Kerr completed the final book, Metropolis, shortly before he died from cancer in 2018. It is both the first and last Bernie novel as it tells the iconic detective's origin story.
Jack Lowden's other TV projects
Scottish star Jack is a familiar face on our screens thanks to his starring role in another Apple TV+ production, Slow Horses. The 35-year-old plays River Cartwright in the spy drama, based on Mick Herron's Slough House novel series, which earned him TV BAFTA and Emmy nominations last year.
The fifth season, which premieres on Wednesday, September 24, will see "a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city", according to the synopsis.
Fans can also look forward to seeing Jack in Netflix's upcoming Pride and Prejudice adaptation, in which he stars as the brooding Mr Darcy. The actor joins The Crown's Emma Corrin, who will star as Elizabeth Bennet, and The Favourite's Olivia Coleman, who plays Mrs Bennet. Author Dolly Alderton, known for her memoir Everything I Know About Love, has penned the scripts.