John Lithgow is the latest elderly gentleman to join The Old Man cast. Lithgow will be starring opposite Jeff Bridges in the FX thriller series The Old Man, with Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts set to helm the pilot episode.
In the wake of the Disney-Sony feud, Jon Watts’ future with the Spider-Man may be getting a little sticky, but at least he’s got some old men to lean on. The Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home director has lined up his next project, according to FX (via The Playlist). The network announced that Watts has signed on to helm the pilot episode of the upcoming thriller series The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges as a retired CIA operative forced to come out his secluded life after an assassination attempt. Based on the novel by Thomas Perry, the series is a vehicle for Bridges to essentially be the badass ex-CIA agent we all want him to play.
There’s no word yet on what role Lithgow will play, but he’s impressed lately in serious dramatic roles, earning an Emmy award for Netflix’s The Crown in 2017. And if you’re curious how he’ll do in a thriller, check him out as the notorious Trinity Killer in the fourth season of Dexter.
Here’s the full synopsis for the book:
To all appearances, Dan Chase is a harmless retiree in Vermont with two big mutts and a grown daughter he keeps in touch with by phone. But most sixty-year-old widowers don’t have multiple driver’s licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, and a bugout kit with two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run. Thirty-five years ago, as a young hotshot in army intelligence, Chase was sent to Libya to covertly assist a rebel army. When the plan turned sour, Chase reacted according to his own ideas of right and wrong, triggering consequences he could never have anticipated. And someone still wants him dead because of them. Just as he had begun to think himself finally safe, Chase must reawaken his survival instincts to contend with the history he has spent his adult life trying to escape.
Jon Steinberg and Robert Levine will write and executive produce the show. FX has only ordered the pilot so far, but with Watts directing a cast like this, it’s likely only a matter of time before we hear of a full series pick-up.
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