It’ll be a while longer before Charlie Hunnam‘s new series will be ready for the viewing public. The show, Shantaram, has been shelved indefinitely. According to Inside Film, the studio is looking to find a second showrunner to work alongside writer and current solo showrunner Eric Warren Singer.
While Singer’s written scripts for the 2013 thriller American Hustle and the upcoming sequel Top Gun: Maverick, he’s never worked as a showrunner. It’s being reported that the addition will give him more time to work on the scripts for the remaining eight episodes.
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The series, which is slated to stream on Apple TV+ (at least at some point), has already shot the first two episodes in late 2019. They were directed by Justin Kurzel, who previously worked with Hunnam on the 2019 feature True History of the Kelly Gang, who’s under contract to helm a total of five. It’s unclear if other directors have been lined up at this point.
Production on Shantaram was originally slated to start back up on Thursday but will be put off until showrunner number two is found. The show’s producers reportedly told the crew in a note that they were “evaluating scenarios around timing and how we will proceed.”
“We understand that in light of this news, many of you will be exploring other potential job opportunities. We will keep you all updated once we’ve solidified our new production plan.”
The show is based on Gregory David Roberts’ 2003 novel of the same name, which centers on a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escapes from prison in Australia and flees to India. The show had been shooting on location in both countries and will continue when production resumes.
It’s an unfortunate setback for the fledgling streaming service, which hasn’t exactly been overflowing with content since it launched back in November. Although it does have other offerings on the horizon.
The streamer is close to closing a deal for an upcoming musical comedy where everyone acts like they live in a 1940s Hollywood musical that they can only leave after finding true love. The series comes from Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, the writers behind the beloved Despicable Me franchise, and will star longtime SNL cast member Cecily Strong.
Back in November, it was also announced that Big Little Lies star Adam Scott will star in the workplace thriller Severance, which will be directed by Ben Stiller. The project has been ordered straight-to-series, although no premiere date has been announced.
