Giancarlo Esposito broke out on Breaking Bad when playing a key supporting role, but now he’ll have his own opportunity to lead a dark drama series. Esposito has signed on to star in The Driver, a gangster series set to premiere on AMC in 2023.
The series will be an American adaptation of a U.K. miniseries of the same name, and revolves around Esposito’s taxi driver whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is hired to chauffeur a notorious gangster.
The original show was created by Danny Brocklehurst and Jim Poyser and aired on the BBC in 2014. Sunu Gonera, who has previously directed episodes of Snowfall and Raised By Wolves, has created this series in collaboration with Brocklehurst.
Theo Travers, who has previously written for Billions, Power, and House Of Lies, will serve as showrunner.
Esposito said in a statement: “I am over the moon excited, enthused, and inspired to be in collaboration with the stellar network and creative team of AMC! Thanks for believing in me. It’s great to be back home!” AMC previously aired Breaking Bad. President of Entertainment at the network, Dan McDermott, added:
“Giancarlo is a singular talent who is already beloved by AMC viewers through his standout performances in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. We are excited to be continuing his relationship with AMC and AMC+ in a series built around him and an unforgettable character.”
While Esposito is best known for his Breaking Bad role as Gus, prior to that show he’d had a storied career as a character actor, appearing in films such as Do The Right Thing, The Usual Suspects, Ali, Malcolm X, and Bob Roberts.
He has also recently been seen in shows such as Dear White People and The Mandalorian.
Esposito’s presence is practically a guarantee that a project will be well-acted and compelling. In this case it will be interesting to see him play across from an intimidating villain instead of playing one himself. There aren’t any further details right now, but with an expected 2023 premiere date, AMC will likely get moving on the show pretty swiftly.
#Peace.Love.TheDriver
