Timothée Chalamet may not be working with Apple yet, but Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz are. Deadline reports that Beetz and Hardy will star in the upcoming Apple TV+ Nordic noir series “Lazarus,” based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler. The project is still nearing development, but A+E Studio and Range Studios are currently in closing deals with Apple.
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Lars Kepler’s acclaimed book series has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, but Kepler isn’t a real person. Instead, he’s a pseudonym for Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. The “Lazarus” series follows police detective Saga Bauer as she goes undercover in a maximum-security psych ward to discover the secrets of serial killer Jurek Walter. Beetz will play Bauer in the upcoming series, while Hardy plays Walter.
Norwegian TV director Øystein Karlsen will write, direct, and executive produces “Lazarus.” Hardy also produces with partner Dean Baker through their Hardy Son & Baker banner. Their previous TV credits include Hardy’s FX series “Taboo.” Other executive producers on “Lazarus” include Beetz, David Rysdahl, the Ahndorils, and Niclas Salomonsson.  Barry Jossen, and Tana Jamieson produce through A+E, while Heather Kadin, Peter Micelli, and Jack Whigham do so through Range.
Beetz and Hardy are an intriguing leading couple for “Lazarus.” Beetz just wrapped her run on FX’s “Atlanta.” Other recent credits for her include “Bullet Train,” “The Harder They Fall,” and voice work on “Invincible” and “The Bad Guys.” Upcoming roles for Beetz include “Joker: Folie á Deux” and Steven Soderbergh‘s HBO Max series “Full Circle.”
As for Hardy, his last big TV role was “Taboo,” his short-lived (and underrated) series about the darker sides of late 19th-century London, and Netflix‘s “Peaky Blinders.” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” was Hardy’s last major film role, but he has “Havoc” on the way soon. He’s currently filming the biker gang movie “The Bikeriders” with Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Michael Shannon. And “Venom 3” is also on the way, someday.
Tom Hardy as a serial killer sounds promising, but “Lazarus” allows Beetz to display her dramatic acting chops. But has Nordic noir already had its cultural moment? Critics and audiences have their say when “Lazarus” premieres on Apple TV+, likely next year.