The long-awaited FX series The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, finally has a trailer and release date. The Old Man has been in the works for years, as it was first announced back in 2019. This will also mark Bridges’ first acting role since 2018, as the living legend was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2020. Production was also hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. The Old Man debuts on FX on June 16 and will be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
The Old Man is based on Thomas Perry’s book, with Bridges starring as Dan Chase, a retired CIA officer isolated from his former employer. He has been living off the grid for decades but is suddenly the target of an assassin. The seasoned operative finally realizes it’s time to come to terms with his past. He teams up with Zoe McDonald, played by Amy Brenneman (Private Practice), in his search for truth. Lithgow plays FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Harold Harper. Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Arrested Development) stars as Agent Angela Adams, and Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce) plays Julian Carson. Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine (Black Sails) wrote the script and are executive producers.
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This is the first regular-series television role in Bridges’ incredible career. He has dozens of classic films on his resume, including The Big Lebowski, TRON, The Last Picture Show, Seabiscuit, True Grit, and Hell or High Water. He won an Oscar for Crazy Heart. The Old Man is his first project since the 2018 movie Bad Times at the El Royale.
Production on The Old Man was delayed twice, first by the pandemic and then by Bridges’ fight against lymphoma, which has gone into remission. During a virtual panel for The Old Man in April, Bridges thanked FX for their support. “As far as I’m concerned, FX and all of the team were so considerate and gave me all of the time I needed to heal and all the support I needed,” Bridges said. “The protocols – we were still in COVID – made me feel very safe and eager to get down to business and play.”
Bridges also found he connected with Dan Chase, who is struggling with his own condition. The character suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. “In times like that, it seems like all your philosophies and spirituality comes to you. It tests you,” Bridges said. “All of that has been made more mature by that experience. I’ve always approached life the same way, [but this] made things sharper.”
FX also announced premiere dates for the rest of its lineup Monday. What We Do in the Shadows Season 4 will debut on July 12, while the new series Welcome to Wrexham will debut on Aug. 23. New episodes of American Horror Story will debut on Hulu on July 21, while Reservation Dogs Season 2 begins on Aug. 3 on Hulu. The animated Little Demon debuts on Aug. 25 on FXX. The Bear begins on Hulu on June 23, and The Patient starts on Aug. 30 on the streamer.
