The makers of the upcoming Apple TV series, based on Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir series of books, have tapped Colin Firth to play a key role in the show, opposite lead actor Jack Lowden, reports Deadline. Tom Shankland is set to direct the series, with an adapted screenplay by Peter Straughan. It is yet to have a title.
Bad Wolf is producing the series along with Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks' banner PlayTone. Production is underway in Berlin, Germany. The series brings Colin Firth back together with Straughan following their collaboration on 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman in the lead role. Straughan is the co-writer of the 2011 film alongside Bridget O'Connor.
There are 14 books in Kerr's book series. The series adaptation from Apple TV starts with the book titled Metropolis, chronicling detective Bernie Gunther's origins in 1928.
The series stars Lowden as Gunther, a cop who receives a promotion to join the elite and intimidating Berlin Murder Squad. Gunther is tasked with the responsibility of looking into what appears to be a killer who targets those who are on the fringes of society. Berlin offers him much freedom to operate and, at the same time, has much turbulence, with the Nazi reign a nightmare about to happen. As the social and political world shift to a completely new norm, Bernie must fight for truth, no matter what the cost may be.
Meanwhile, Firth stars as a brilliant yet prickly detective named Paul Lohser, who is part of the Berlin Murder Squad and is an antithesis to Bernie. At the same time, Lohser serves as Bernie's ally as he tries to catch the killer.
Firth's upcoming projects include a role in Disclosure Day, the Steven Spielberg directorial, Prime Video's Young Sherlock, and a role reprisal as Harry Hart in filmmaker Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Blue Bloods.
