The Apple TV+ series Shantaram has hit a significant snag. The adaptation of Gregory David Roberts‘ 2003 novel took its time getting to screens in the first place, having been in the works for years, and now the delay will be even longer. The series has been temporarily shut down due to a writing backlog.
What does that mean exactly? Basically, only two of the ten episodes have been shot and production realised that head writer and showrunner Eric Warren Singer had not completed all the necessary scripts. Thus, filming has been shut down to catch up. A pretty bush league development for one of Apple’s more highly anticipated shows.
The series will star Charlie Hunnam. The story chronicles a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict’s escape to India, with much of the action set in Bombay. Apple realised that the scripts wouldn’t be ready to shoot before monsoon season hits India. That usually lasts between June and October, so Shantaram could be on hiatus for a while.
An additional showrunner is expected to be hired soon to run the day-to-day of production while Singer focuses on writing the scripts. All the episodes had been outlined in a writers room, but Singer was tackling the writing of the entire season himself. He probably had more on his plate than he expected.
Justin Kurzel (Assassin’s Creed) directed the first two episodes and is signed to helm five episodes in total. Reportedly, producers are extremely pleased with what’s been shot so far, and the delay shouldn’t cause any shakeups in the main cast. Who knows whether that’s true or if Apple are just trying to save face during trying times for the show.
Considering its potential international reach, Apple probably envisioned Shantaram as one of their flagship shows. All the promotion for it will have to wait, for now. This delay might not turn out to be particularly important, or it might turn out to hurt Apple in the streaming wars. We’ll see.
#Peace.Love.Shantaram
