Slow Horses star’s detective series based on classic novels adds Colin Firth

It’s safe to say viewers are in for a treat with this one. The adaptation is penned by Oscar winner Peter Straughan, known for his work on Conclave and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Meanwhile, Tom Shankland, who directed episodes of the Netflix hit House of Guinness, and the BAFTA-nominated drama, The Missing, is directing the series.

Plus, the production team knows how to create gripping drama. Bad Wolf, the company behind Doctor Who and His Dark Materials, is producing, alongside Hollywood icon Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s PlayTone (Masters of the Air).

Set in 1928, the series tells the origin story of Bernie Gunther, a newly promoted police officer in the elite Berlin Murder Squad who must “investigate what seems to be a serial killer targeting victims on the fringes of society”, according to a synopsis from Deadline. 

It continues: “Bernie’s Berlin is a city of unprecedented freedom and dizzying turbulence, the Nazis just a distant nightmare waiting in the wings. With the political and social world shifting to a new norm, we see Bernie fighting for truth, whatever the cost.”

There are 14 Bernie Gunther novels in total, which are bestsellers in the U.S. and the UK. The final book, Metropolis, was completed shortly before author Philip Kerr’s death from cancer in 2018. It is both the first and last novel in the series as it tells the police officer’s origin story. 

Jack Lowden, who is perhaps best known for his starring role as River Cartwright in Slow Horses, as well as for his roles in Dunkirk, Benediction and Ella McCay, is set to lead the cast as detective Bernie Gunther.

Meanwhile, Colin Firth will play Bernie’s mentor and partner, Paul Lohser, who is described as a “brilliant but prickly” murder detective with the Berlin Police. According to Deadline, Paul is “meticulous, anti-social and well-educated – everything Bernie isn’t.” 

The series marks a reunion for Colin and screenwriter Peter following 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on John le Carré’s book.

With filming currently underway, viewers may have to wait a while until the series arrives on Apple TV. We’d speculate that the show will be released in late 2026 at the earliest.