After a pair of terrific back-to-back features in 2013, Jake Gyllenhaal and Denis Villeneuve will be reteaming for The Son, an upcoming HBO limited series adapting Jo Nesbø’s 2014 novel of the same name.
Nesbø’s novel focuses on Sonny Lofthus, a heroin-addicted inmate serving prison time for crimes he didn’t commit, eventually propelled into an underworld of corruption encompassing prison staff, lawyers, gangsters, and the rest of the rabble. Previously, the films The Snowman and Headhunters adapted novels by Nesbø.
The Son will star Gyllenhaal in the Sonny Lofthus role, with Villeneuve directing. Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy will act as showrunners on the series. The star and director were reportedly looking for a project to work on after Enemy for some time, with Gyllenhaal sending Nesbø’s book to Villeneuve and the two immediately agreeing there was something worth pursuing. Transforming from a single feature to a limited series, Nolan and Joy, with Westworld studio Kilter Films in tow, joined the project.
Currently, Villeneuve is wrapping up post-production on his ambitious Dune adaptation, which has been delayed into next year. Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal was most recently seen in last year’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. In 2013 Hugh Jackman and Gyllenhaal led Villeneuve’s Prisoners, while Gyllenhaal starred in the dual-roles of Enemy, which also released in 2013. If The Son turns out half as good as either of those, we’re in for a treat.
Source: Deadline
