After Tom Cruise has slipped into the role of ex-military operative and wandering hero Jack Reacher twice already, 2022’s “Reacher” finally saw a series adaptation closer to Lee Child’s original and became a huge hit on Amazon Prime Video. If you liked “Reacher” with Alan Ritchson in the role of the brawny giant, you should note a new project right now: “Bannerman“. Because with the mix of cop action and (apparent) small town idyll, the planned series apparently hits a similar notch.
Bannerman is based on the book series of the same name by John R. Maxim: The Bannerman Solution, The Bannerman Effect, Bannerman’s Law, Bannerman’s Promise, and Bannerman’s Ghosts. The books are about Paul Bannerman, who was once America’s deadliest secret agent and led a network of specialists and mercenaries in Europe, but must now be eliminated because he is seen as a threat to the American intelligence apparatus.
» The “Bannerman” novels on Amazon*
Bannerman and his people are moved to Westport, Connecticut as apparently commoners. But the prosperous, peaceful town soon becomes the scene of a deadly battle between the former agents and the secret services…
From the creators of “Lethal Weapon” and “The Walking Dead”
American broadcaster AMC and its parent company AMC Networks have secured the rights to the ‘Bannerman’ books and commissioned three Hollywood veterans to develop a series adaptation:
Shane Black made his name in the 1980s and 1990s as a writer of the “Lethal Weapon” films and “Last Action Hero” before directing “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “Iron Man 3”. His last movies were “The Nice Guys” and “Predator – Upgrade”. Black’s unique, playful, tongue-in-cheek style as a writer and filmmaker will certainly be part of Bannerman.
In addition to Shane Black, “The Walking Dead” are also producer and makeup legend Greg Nicotero such as Brian Witten (“Friday the 13th”, “Chernobyl Diaries”), who know each other from working on the horror series “Creepshow”.
In the US, “Bannerman” should then be shown on AMC, an American broadcaster with an excellent reputation thanks to series such as “The Walking Dead”, “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” as well as “Better Call Saul”. Unfortunately, it is not possible to say with certainty where the agent series will be shown in Germanyas AMC productions in this country are happily distributed through the various streaming services.