The series of the as-yet-untitled Berlin Noir series, produced by Apple TV+ and Playtone (the production company of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman), is one of the most promising projects in development on the platform. It will be directed by Tom Shankland, a BAFTA nominee known for his work on House of Guinness, among other projects.
Jack Lowden
The series' story begins with the book "Metropolis" and serves as an origin story for Kerr's iconic detective, Bernie Gunther. In 1928 Berlin, just before the rise of Nazism, Gunther is promoted to the city's notorious homicide squad. He is confronted with a series of gruesome murders of people on the fringes of society. Amidst a city teeming with freedom, chaos, and political unrest, Gunther fights for the truth—no matter the cost.
The series will be filmed in Berlin, which is fitting for the story's historical setting. The production is co-led by Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch, and Ryan Rasmussen for Bad Wolf, the production company behind the HBO series "His Dark Materials," among others.
Philip Kerr, who died of cancer in 2018, wrote fourteen Bernie Gunther novels, which were translated worldwide and sold well. He completed Metropolis, the final book in the series, shortly before his death. The rights to the books are held by his widow, author Jane Thynne, through their company Thynker Ltd.
For Lowden, this is the next step in his successful collaboration with Apple. He achieved great recognition for his role in Slow Horses, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2024 for Best Supporting Actor. The fifth season of that series premieres on Wednesday, September 24. Meanwhile, he is also filming a new Netflix adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, in which he stars opposite Emma Corrin and Olivia Colman.