FX Order CIA Drama ‘The Old Man’ Starring Jeff Bridges, Based On Thomas Perry’s Bestseller
FX has handed a series order the ‘The Old Man‘, an adaptation of Thomas Perry’s bestselling novel starring Jeff Bridges, the US broadcaster has announced today.
‘The Old Man’ centres on Dan Chase (Bridges) who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.
The series comes from Jon Steinberg & Robert Levine, the creators of the Emmy-winning ‘Black Sails’, who are reteaming with executive producer Dan Shotz for this new drama. Warren Littlefield, Steinberg, Levine, Jeff Bridges and David Schiff also exec produce, with Fox 21 Television Studios and The Littlefield Company producing.
“Jeff Bridges is one of the most important actors of his generation,” commented Steinberg. “John Landgraf, Eric Schrier, Gina Balian, Nick Grad and their team at FX have built a home for content of unparalleled quality. Bert Salke and his team at Fox 21 have developed a sterling track record for generating said content. And Warren Littlefield has forgotten more about making great television than we will ever know. To call this a project a dream opportunity for us is almost certainly a gross understatement.”
Bridges is the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actor known for some of the most iconic roles in entertainment. His career began in television as a young actor who quickly received a steady stream of feature roles, including ‘TRON’, ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys’, ‘The Last Picture Show’, ‘Starman’ and his famed role as “The Dude” in ‘The Big Lebowski’. More recent credits include ‘Hell or High Water’, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’, ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ and ‘Crazy Heart’, the 2009 feature for which he won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
“Jeff Bridges is an iconic, extraordinary actor and to have him as the star of this series is an incredible moment for FX,” adds Nick Grad, Co-President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment. “Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine have delivered an amazing pilot script and Jeff is perfect for the role of Dan Chase. We’re also happy to be working with Warren Littlefield, with whom we’ve had such a terrific partnership on Fargo, along with our partners at Fox 21.”
In addition to ‘Fargo’, Warren Littlefield and The Littlefield Company are no strangers to novel adaptations, having produced ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, which won 8 Emmy Awards, including Best Dramatic Series, in its first year, the TCA Award for Best Drama and Program of the Year, three Golden Globe Awards, AFI TV Program of the Year Award, a Peabody Award, a BAFTA Award and garnered Littlefield his 3rd Producers Guild Award.
Production on ‘The Old Man‘ begins this Autumn, which should put the release date in 2020 on FX in the US. Whilst not officially confirmed, the drama should fall under the BBC’s carriage deal with FX, which means we will (hopefully) get it on BBC Two at some point next year in the UK. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
