Mr. Mercedes is a brand-new thriller detective series that is brought to you by distributors AT&T Originals. The planned date for the show’s launch on the Audience network is August 9, 2017. The series is based on the book ‘Mr. Mercedes’ by Stephen King. Although the show was originally announced in July 2015, Audience did not order the 10-episode season until May 2016. At the same time, the cast for the television series was announced. For anyone who enjoys a decent detective series, this show looks like it is one to add to your ‘must watch’ list for late summer and the Fall. So, what do we know about AT&T’s ‘Mr. Mercedes’ so far?
The Story
The storyline for the series is based on the book by Stephen King. The book ‘Mr. Mercedes’ was released in 2014 and is the first book of a trilogy. The second and third books in this trilogy are ‘Finders Keepers’ and ‘End of Watch’. The storyline revolves around an incident when a man driving a stolen Mercedes plows into a crowd at a job fair killing eight people and seriously injuring many more. Detective Bill Hodges receives a letter from a man owning up as the driver and referring to himself as ‘Mr. Mercedes’,
The Cast
The cast for the series was initially announced in May 2016. However, there were several problems that led to a partial recasting for the show. Anton Yelchin was originally cast for the role of Brady Hartsfield and Ann-Margret was set to play Ida Silver. Sadly, Anton Yelchin was tragically killed in a car incident and Ann-Margret was forced to withdraw due to family illness and was replaced by Holland Taylor.
Brendan Gleeson is cast in the lead role of Detective Bill Hodges. Gleeson is an experienced Irish actor who has played lead roles in films including ‘Calvary’, ‘In Bruges’, ‘Live by Night’, and ‘The Guard’. He also played Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films. Following the death of Yelchin, Harry Treadway was cast in the role of Brady Hartsfield. Jharrel Jerome is set to play Jerome Robinson and Mary-Louise Parker is taking on the role of Janey Patterson.
Other members of the cast include Justine Lupe, Kelly Lynch, Robert Stanton, Scott Lawrence, Ann Cusack, and Breeda Wool. It is also reported that Stephen King will play a cameo role in the series.
Production
Production of ‘Mr. Mercedes’ began in early 2017 under Sonar Entertainment and Temple Hill Entertainment. The executive producers on the show include David E. Kelly, Jack Bender, Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and Stephen King. Jack Bender is directing the series.
Reception to the Trailer
Based on reactions to the release of the trailer, the consensus amongst both the public and media experts is that ‘Mr. Mercedes’ is a series that will be well worth watching. A thrilling story by one of the best-known authors in the world, a high caliber cast, and a fantastic directorial and production team combine to give this series the potential to succeed and captivate audiences.
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