Prime Video’s adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal comic book series has found its lead, with Deadline revealing that Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) has been cast alongside the previously announced Adria Arjona (Hit Man), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) and Kadeem Hardison (Drive).
As per the trade, Hunnam will play the character of Leo, “a brilliant master thief who sees all the angles, and specializes in plans with no guns and no violence. Like a chess player, Leo thinks three moves ahead. Other crooks think he’s a coward, especially compared to his father Tommy, who went to jail for murdering the most feared man in the city, Teeg Lawless.”
The Criminal comic book series “the interweaving saga of several generations of families tied together by the crimes and murders of the past”. The TV adaptation is being produced by Amazon MGM Studios, with Brubaker and Jordan Harper (Hightown) showrunning and Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Captain Marvel) directing the opening four episodes.
Criminal will mark a TV return for Hunnam, who started out in UK shows such as Byker Grove and Queer as Folk before gaining international recognition with his role as Jax Teller in FX’s Sons of Anarchy. He also recently led Apple TV+’s Shantaram., and on the film side is coming off Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire.
