Chris Evans

Source: Wiki Commons

Chris Evans

Apple has given a straight-to-series order to Defending Jacob, a crime thriller limited series to star The Avengers’ Chris Evans.

The series will be based on author William Landay’s 2012 novel of the same name about a father struggling with accusations that his 14-year-old son is a murderer. Mark Bomback, writer and executive producer on Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and War For The Planet Of The Apes, will be creator, writer and executive producer of the series and serve as showrunner.

Bomback is also writing the upcoming feature The Art Of Racing In The Rain and one of writers on upcoming Netflix fantasy series The Umbrella Academy.

Paramount Television and Anonymous Content will produce Defending Jacob, with Rosalie Swedlin and Adam Shulman serving as executive producers for Anonymous.

Morten Tyldum, who recently directed episodes of Counterpart and Jack Ryan, will direct the series and act as an executive producer. Evans will also be an executive producer.

Apple’s growing list of scripted TV projects also includes the recently ordered sci-fi adaptation Foundation, from Skydance Television; Stephen Spielberg’s Amazing Stories reboot; Are You Sleeping?, with Octavia Spencer; J J Abrams’ Little Voice; Stephen Knight’s See; and dramas from Damien Chazelle and M Night Shyamalan.