Charlie Hunnam Cast as Lead in Apple TV+ Series 'Shantaram'

Apple has cast actor Charlie Hunnam in its upcoming series "Shantaram," which will air on Apple TV+ sometime after the service debuts this November (via Variety). The series is an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel of the same name, the rights to which Apple acquired back in June 2018.

charlie hunnam

Image via Variety/Eric Charbonneau

The novel is based somewhat on Roberts' real life, focusing on a character named Lin (Hunnam), who is a convict that flees from an Australian prison and hopes to get lost in the city of Bombay. In the city, Lin stumbles across an underworld of criminals while individuals from his life in prison hunt him down.

Apple won the rights to the book amid a competitive bidding war that was said to include multiple streaming companies. Previously, plans to adapt "Shantaram" included Joel Edgerton in the role as Lin for a feature film, but plans fell through, leading to the idea of a streaming TV series.

"American Hustle" screenwriter Eric Warren Singer will serve as the showrunner and executive producer of the new Apple series. Singer also worked on "The International", "Only the Brave", and wrote the script for the upcoming sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." Hunnam is known for his roles in "Sons of Anarchy," "Pacific Rim," and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword."

It's not clear yet when "Shantaram" will premiere on ‌Apple TV‌+, but since casting has just gotten underway and filming has not yet begun, it's likely that we won't see the show debut until mid-to-late 2020 at the earliest.

Popular Stories

Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
maxresdefault

OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to 'Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer'

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:27 am PDT by
OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, OpenAI announced today. Ive has been working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on io for two years, and the duo expects to develop a family of AI devices. In a video shared by OpenAI, Altman and Ive outlined their partnership and what they expect to create as a result of the merger. "I have a growing sense that everything ...
iPod shuffle generations

Kuo: Jony Ive's Futuristic OpenAI Device Like a Neck-Worn iPod Shuffle

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design. In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...

Top Rated Comments

Baymowe335 Avatar
74 months ago
As Apple TV+ adds more content, that $4.99 is looking stronger and stronger.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gleepskip Avatar
74 months ago
A show that hasn't even begun production yet is being announced that will air in 2021/2022. Disney has many titles that fit that category, but they have decades of work that can be used to entertain for a family's $6.99 while they await the latest Marvel or Star Wars spinoff show.

To me, this announcement further reinforces the lack of content at launch.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanwarsaw Avatar
74 months ago
Sounds interesting. I only know of this book from when I was running a backpacker hostel on an island in SE. Asia. Every dreadlock hippy coming through had this really huge book with a weird name.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
74 months ago
Netflix just got the rights for Seinfeld from 2021. Is Apple going after any legacy content?

https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/16/20868736/seinfeld-is-heading-to-netflix-in-2021
No, AppleTV+ shows are all new productions curated and funded by Apple.

Legacy content will be available through third parties in Channels in the AppleTV app. If you think about it, it’s a smart move. Apple doesn’t have to license content. Instead, they give license owners access to AppleTV viewers in the same app. The license owners makes their money in subscriptions and Apple gets a cut and an AppleTV app full of content both from their own studio and from legacy shows.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
74 months ago
As Apple TV+ adds more content, that $4.99 is looking stronger and stronger.
Agree. Also...my sense is many believe Apple is not engaged in many projects, or is working on them serially. I suspect there are many going on, most of which have not been publicized.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deeddawg Avatar
74 months ago
Interesting. I read the book on the recommendation of an Indian colleague and enjoyed it. It'd be neat to see it on-screen.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)