Tom Hardy is no longer set to feature in Apple TV+’s forthcoming thriller series, Lazarus. Deadline had previously reported that Tom was lined up to headline the drama based on the Lars Kepler novels, which was then reportedly nearing the final stages of negotiation.
However, it has now been revealed that Stephen Graham has secured the role of serial killer Jurek Walter, initially discussed with Tom.
Lazarus centres around Jonah Lynn, portrayed by Liev Schreiber, a former soldier turned homicide detective who, weary of the harsh streets of Philadelphia, relocates to a tranquil town in Western Pennsylvania.
However, when the town and his family are threatened by the devilishly clever serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham), Jonah is compelled to safeguard everything he cherishes.
As the frantic hunt for Jurek’s last missing victim pushes Jonah to pit his adopted daughter, FBI Agent Saga Bauer, played by Zazie Beetz, against Jurek, one wonders how far will Jonah go.
In 2023, Deadline announced that Tom would take Jurek’s role.
The reasons behind Tom’s departure from the leading role remain unclear.
The series will be produced for Apple TV+ by A+E Studios, in collaboration with Range Studio.
Filming is set to begin this summer in Pittsburgh.
Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin will co-showrun the project and executive produce alongside Tim Van Patten, who will direct the first two episodes.
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, authors of the Joona Linna series.
With nine installments to date, the series has sold 15 million copies in 40 languages.
The Joona Linna series follows Joona Linna, detective superintendent at the police’s national operations department, Saga Bauer, an operational superintendent at the Swedish security service, and Erik Maria Bark, a trained psychiatrist and psychotherapist specialised in psycho-traumatology and disaster psychiatry.