Press/Interview: “The show itself said no” – Inside Shantaram’s long and troubled road to TV

Press/Interview: “The show itself said no” – Inside Shantaram’s long and troubled road to TV

SMH.com.au — One thing that has become very clear to me is that Shantaram itself has a spirit,” says Charlie Hunnam. “It is an entity unto itself and it demands to be listened to.”

He’s talking about the much-loved book-turned-Apple TV+ series, in which he plays Lin, a former junkie and bank robber who hides out in Bombay after escaping from Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison. And if he’s right, this Shantaram is a very strong-willed entity indeed.

Since 2004, when Warner Bros paid $2 million for the screen rights, there have been multiple failed attempts to film Gregory David Roberts’ fictionalised account of his remarkable life story. Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton and Johnny Depp were all lined up at one time or another to play Lin. Peter Weir was attached to direct before leaving the project in 2006 because, Warners said, “his interpretation of it differed greatly than that of the studio and producers”.

This 12-part version for Apple – the streamer’s first Australian commission – has had some pretty big issues of its own.

“We have tried to do things, we had such conviction, and the show itself said no, and put up every obstacle,” says Sons of Anarchy star Hunnam, who is also a producer on the project. “Even in the first iteration [we shot], it was Shantaram that said ‘not sure if this is fitting correctly’.”

Announced amid much fanfare with a projected $55 million budget in August 2019 with Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Nitram) as set-up director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) as showrunner, the production was two episodes in when it was shut down in February 2020 over concerns that the scripts for the remainder of what was supposed to be a 10-part series were “not ready”.

In May 2021, when production finally resumed, it had a new showrunner, new directors and an entirely new direction.

“We basically started again,” says showrunner Steve Lightfoot, who was brought on to reshape the project into something more palatable for Apple. “The book’s already there, so we certainly built on the foundations of work that team had done, but essentially, you know, we started again.”

According to Hunnam, the Singer-Kurzel version was a much darker rendering of the material than the one that debuts next week.
Continue reading Press/Interview: “The show itself said no” – Inside Shantaram’s long and troubled road to TV

Video: Charlie Hunnam Is a Wanted Man Hiding Out in 1980s Bombay in ‘Shantaram’ Trailer

Video: Charlie Hunnam Is a Wanted Man Hiding Out in 1980s Bombay in ‘Shantaram’ Trailer

Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam is a fugitive chasing redemption, all whilst trying to lay low in 1980s Bombay, in the first full trailer for Apple TV+’s Shantaram adaptation.

Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram follows Lin Ford (played by Hunnam), a fugitive looking to get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay. Alone in the unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid the trouble he’s running from in this new place — but after falling for an enigmatic and intriguing woman named Karla (played by Antonia Desplat), Lin must choose between freedom or love (and the complications that come with it).

source: tvline.com

Press: Charlie Hunnam promises his new series ‘Shantaram’ is “radically different” from ‘Sons of Anarchy’

Press: Charlie Hunnam promises his new series ‘Shantaram’ is “radically different” from ‘Sons of Anarchy’

Don’t expect Hunnam to spend much time on a motorcycle in his first series regular role since the biker drama.

EW.com — Charlie Hunnam knows what you’re thinking about the first photo Apple released last month from his new series Shantaram. In the image, the Sons of Anarchy alum sits perched on a motorcycle, looking very much like his former role as outlaw motorcycle club member Jax Teller on the FX drama. But Hunnam’s new character, fugitive Lin Ford, is nothing like Jax. And Shantaram is nothing like Sons of Anarchy.

“I thought that was very cheeky that Apple released that image as the first image,” Hunnam tells EW with a laugh. “I’m on a motorcycle in the show for approximately two minutes maximum over the course of 12 hours, so I hope people don’t get too excited thinking that this is some sort of Sons of Anarchy in India, because that’s not what we’re delivering. The show is so radically different and the characters are so radically different.”

Hunnam stars in the adaptation of the 2003 international best-selling novel from Australian author Gregory David Roberts about Lin’s adventures in 1980s Bombay after escaping prison. Alone in an unfamiliar city, he falls for an enigmatic and intriguing woman while on the run from his past, and soon must choose between freedom or love, and the complications that come with it.

Shantaram marks Hunnam’s first series regular TV gig since Sons of Anarchy wrapped in 2014, and he’s excited to begin this next phase of his career. “I was really a kid when I started Sons, although that grew into feeling quite proud of some of the work that I did in the later seasons,” he says. “I’m just a different person now. I’m north of 40 now, and I’ve been taking stock of who I am and who I would like to be, and the work that I do is certainly an element of that. I think it was an important step for me to challenge myself in those ways. It was very rewarding to push myself out of my comfort zone with this project — I’ve never worked as hard on anything as I’ve worked on this, so I’m nervous and just really excited to see what the reaction will be.”

Credit: Roland Neveu/Apple TV+

Choosing his first post-Sons series regular role was a big decision, and it’s one that he didn’t take lightly. “I very much enjoy the process of long-form storytelling and the consistency of working with the same cast and the opportunity to play the same character for a long period of time, but when I finished Sons of Anarchy, I needed a break from the rigor of that routine, because it’s pretty arduous shooting television,” he says. “I wanted also to wait until the right thing came along, because it’s such a big commitment. It was in my mind, certainly, to make a return to television if I had the opportunity.”

Continue reading Press: Charlie Hunnam promises his new series ‘Shantaram’ is “radically different” from ‘Sons of Anarchy’

Press: Apple TV+ reveals a first look at “Shantaram,” the highly anticipated new drama series starring Charlie Hunnam

Press: Apple TV+ reveals a first look at “Shantaram,” the highly anticipated new drama series starring Charlie Hunnam

Apple.com‘Shantaram’ to make its global debut Friday, October 14 on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ recently unveiled a first look at “Shantaram,” a new drama series starring Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”), and based on the internationally bestselling novel by Gregory David Roberts. The highly anticipated Apple Original series is a hopeful cinematic love story coupled with a thrilling epic adventure that follows one man’s journey to redemption through a country that changes his life. “Shantaram” will make its global debut with the first three episodes of its 12-episode first season on Friday, October 14, 2022, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through December 16, 2022, on Apple TV+.

“Shantaram” follows a fugitive named Lin Ford (Hunnam) looking to get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay. Alone in an unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid the trouble he’s running from in this new place. After falling for an enigmatic and intriguing woman named Karla, Lin must choose between freedom or love and the complications that come with it.

In addition to Hunnam, the series also stars Shubham Saraf, Elektra Kilbey, Fayssal Bazzi, Luke Pasqualino, Antonia Desplat, Alyy Khan, Sujaya Dasgupta, Vincent Perez, David Field, Alexander Siddig, Gabrielle Scharnitzky, Elham Ehsas, Rachel Kamath, Matthew Joseph and Shiv Palekar.

The series is co-created, written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot, who also serves as showrunner. Bharat Nalluri directs and executive produces. Andrea Barron, Nicole Clemens, Steve Golin and Justin Kurzel also executive produce along with Eric Warren Singer, who co-created the series. “Shantaram” is produced for Apple by Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content’s AC Studios.

News: Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher Join Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’

News: Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, Ray Fisher Join Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’

HollywoodReporter.com — Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona and Ray Fisher have boarded the starship to Rebel Moon, the epic sci-fi fantasy feature that Zack Snyder is directing for Netflix.

Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy, Charlotte Maggi and Sky Yang have also signed on for parts in the feature, which is slated to begin shooting in April.

Sofia Boutella is leading the ensemble in the story of a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Belisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.

Character details are about as easy to find as an honest galactic mercenary, but sources say Hounsou is playing a character named General Titus (good/bad guy status unknown), Bae is a nemesis who is proficient with a sword, while Fisher is a resistance fighter named Blood Axe.

Snyder co-wrote the script with Army of the Dead co-screenwriter Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, who co-wrote 300, Snyder’s adaptation of the Frank Miller comic. Snyder and Johnstad are receiving story-by credit.