AMC Networks Greenlights The Driver

AMC Networks has ordered the new drama series The Driver, starring Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul).

Produced by AMC Studios in association with A+E Studios and Thruline Entertainment, the series centers on a taxi driver, played by Esposito, whose life is turned upside down when he agrees to chauffeur a New Orleans-based Zimbabwean gangster notorious for exploiting undocumented immigrants.

The Driver is based on a U.K. format created by Danny Brocklehurst (The Stranger) and Jim Poyser. Sunu Gonera (Class of 09) and Brocklehurst reimagined it into a one-hour drama series. Theo Travers (Billions) will serve as show runner, while Gonera will direct the pilot.

The series is expected to premiere in 2023.

“Giancarlo is a singular talent who is already beloved by AMC viewers through his standout performances in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We are excited to be continuing his relationship with AMC and AMC+ in a series built around him and an unforgettable character who takes what he thinks is a straightforward job opportunity and finds himself confronted with a world that tests him in ways he could never have imagined.”

Esposito said, “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!”

“It is a pleasure and a privilege to be working with AMC on this bold reimagining of my U.K. miniseries,” added Brocklehurst. “Sunu Gonera and Theo Travers have both brought superb original voices to the premise, and I am thrilled to be going on this ride with them.”

“It’s surreal to be at this point,” said Gonera. “This whole journey started as a simple conversation four years ago in my manager Josh Kesselman’s living room when he said, ‘Giancarlo is keen to play an everyman as his next role. There’s a British show he loves called The Driver. Would you watch the pilot and see if you could come up with a take you both could get excited about?’ Um, would I? You had me at Giancarlo and everyman.”

Travers added, “I couldn’t be more excited to help bring this show to life. I’ve been a fan of Giancarlo’s work since Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. It’s a true honor to have the chance to collaborate with him in this way. The Driver is a high-voltage, dark identity quest for an everyman trying to find renewed purpose in his life. We’re rooting for Vince as he goes down this wild and nihilistic route to discover who he once was, and in many ways still is, because it gets him out of a stuck place. That’s where a lot of us feel we are right now, which makes this series so timely for today.”

Barry Jossen, president and head of A+E Studios, and Tana Jamieson, executive VP of creative affairs of A+E Studios, said, “We are thrilled to partner with AMC Studios and Giancarlo Esposito on The Driver, a timely and thought-provoking must-watch series that addresses our current cultural changes and is sure to resonate with viewers. Together with Danny Brocklehurst, Sunu Gonera and Theo Travers, A+E Studios and our producing partners at Thruline will deliver another high-quality show for AMC.”