Christopher Walken Will Star in a New Crime Thriller Series THE OFFENDERS For Amazon and BBC
Christopher Walken is set to star in a new upcoming six-part crime series titled The Offenders which is being produced for BBC and Amazon. The series comes from The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant and Mayans M.C. co-creator Elgin James.
The story is as crime thriller-meets-state-of-the-nation commentary, and it follows seven strangers, “The Offenders, from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. As they become involved in each other’s lives, they also become involved with a dangerous criminal gang. At first, the Offenders seem like archetypes easy to pigeonhole, but gradually we see behind their façades, understand their hidden depths and what made them the people they are today. We are reminded that no one is all good or all bad. Everyone has a story.”
The series also stars Merchant, Rhianne Barreto (Honour, Hanna), Gamba Cole (Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle, Hanna), Darren Boyd (Killing Eve, Lucky Man), Clare Perkins (EastEnders) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The War of the Worlds).
Walken plays Frank, an inveterate scoundrel trying to reconnect with his family. Merchant plays Greg, a lonely lawyer coping with divorce, work-place bullying and scary men with knives. Barreto is Rani, a gifted but rebellious math student who has been hot-housed from a young age by her loving but controlling parents. Cole portrays Christian, a young man struggling to raise his kid sister while staying one step ahead of the Brook Hill Crew, a notorious Bristol crime gang. Boyd plays John, a businessman and law-abiding pillar of the community furious at being labeled a criminal. Perkins plays Myrna, an aging activist and campaigner who has lost none of her youthful radicalism. Tomlinson portrays Gabby, an aristocratic celebutante whose glamour and life of leisure masks deep-rooted problems.
Additional cast members include Jessica Gunning (Back, Pride) as Diana; the Offenders’ Community Service Supervisor, who supervises with what she deludedly believes is an iron first, Dolly Wells (Dracula, Doll & Em) as Frank’s daughter, Margaret, Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones, Derry Girls) as John’s father, John Snr, Nina Wadia (Goodness Gracious Me, Bend it like Beckham) as Rani’s mother, Shanthi, Aiyana Goodfellow as Esme and Charles Babalola as Malaki.
Merchant, who also is directing the series, said in a statement:
“Like so many other productions, we’d just begun filming when Covid-19 struck and we had to shut down. I’m delighted that we’re now finally able to resume filming with this incredible cast and finish this long-standing passion project. This is the first series I’ve made in my hometown of Bristol and I’m so excited to showcase the city and utilize the amazing local talent.”
Walken is also set to star in another series titled Severance alongside Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower and John Turturro. This is a workplace thriller drama directed by and executive produced by Ben Stiller.
Source: Deadline