Charlie Hunnam’s Canceled Sons of Anarchy Replacement Is Required Viewing Before His Upcoming Crime Show

Earlier than Charlie Hunnam seems within the upcoming crime sequence Prison, followers of the Sons of Anarchy star ought to try the short-lived tv present Shantaram. Prison, which might be launched on Amazon Prime Video, relies on the Marvel/Picture Comics Prison comedian e book sequence by Ed Brubaker (illustrated by Sean Phillips). Ed Brubaker has remained in cost as one of many showrunners of Criminals (alongside Jordan Harper), which can comply with the lives of a number of generational crime households and discover how every transgression impacts each member of the family’s previous, current, and future.

Hunnam, who performed Jackson “Jax” Teller in Sons of Anarchy from 2008 to 2014, was one of many first actors to be solid for Prison in Might 2024. Hunnam will painting Leo “Coward,” a prison whose purpose is to finish his unlawful actions with out violence or weapons. Within the comedian sequence, Leo is the son of Tommy Patterson, certainly one of Heart Metropolis’s main criminals. Whereas Hunnam’s involvement in Sons of Anarchy is what he is most acknowledged for, Hunnam additionally performed the lead position within the forgotten Apple TV+ sequence Shantaram.

Shantaram Is (Considerably) Based mostly on a True Story

Charlie Hunnam Performed Dale Conti/Lindsay “Lin” Ford

The Apple TV+ sequence Shantaram is an adaptation of Shantaram, a 2003 novel written by Gregory David Roberts. Whereas a number of the occasions of Shantaram have been questioned or disputed through the years, Roberts’ novel is a dramatization of the implications of Roberts’ former drug dependancy and prison previous. After being sentenced to jail time, Roberts escaped from an Australian jail and settled in Mumbai, India (then generally known as Bombay) for a decade. Roberts was finally caught by officers whereas attempting to enter Germany.

The protagonist of Shantaram, Lindsay “Lin” Ford, is a illustration of Roberts’ experiences. In Shantaram, Lin escapes an Australian jail and flees to India, the place he meets an abundance of fascinating individuals, experiences the various tradition of India (and later Afghanistan), and, naturally, finds himself in additional hassle midway internationally.

Associated

Hit Apple TV+ Sequence With 100% RT Rating Reveals First Have a look at Lengthy-Awaited Season 3

Followers of this sci-fi drama have been ready nearly 2 years for the third season.

Within the TV adaptation of Shantaram, Hunnam performs Lin, a former paramedic-in-training who arrives in Bombay after escaping Pentridge Jail. Lin, who assumes a brand new id and travels all through India with a goal on his again, meets quite a lot of different characters, together with Karla Saaranen (Antonia Desplat). Like within the Shantaram e book, Karla is a Swiss girl concerned in prison actions in India, whom Lin begins to fall for.

Different characters who seem in Shantaram alongside Lin embody the Iranian underboss Abdullah Taheri (Fayssal Bazzi), police detective Wally Nightingale (David Area), Lin’s first pal/tour information, Prabaker “Prabhu” Kharre (Shubham Saraf), and Kavita, a journalist (Sujaya Dasgupta).

AppleTV+ Canceled Shantaram After One Season

Gregory David Roberts’ Novel Was Onerous to Adapt

Shantaram premiered on October 14, 2022, and ran by way of December 16, 2022. The present was thought-about a median sequence by Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, however on December 15, 2022, it was reported that Shantaram was canceled after one season. One of many greatest causes Apple TV+ declined to make one other season of Shantaram was that the streaming service discovered it troublesome to adapt Roberts’ novel to tv. The present was filmed in Australia, India, and Thailand, however manufacturing was delayed a number of instances resulting from a mixture of scheduling conflicts, India’s monsoon season, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Shantaram can be a big novel at 939 pages, and the writers struggled to stay devoted to Roberts’ e book and condense all of it into simply 12 episodes.

Regardless of the quantity of labor that went into making Shantaram, the tv sequence in the end did not carry out to Apple TV+’s requirements. It was given a excessive price range to work with, and the present’s beautiful cinematography paid homage to India’s wealthy tradition. Nevertheless, Shantaram didn’t attain the viewership stage that might have made the platform need to contemplate investing in one other season.

Whereas Apple TV+ by no means launched its stats, Television Stats experiences that as of Might 20, 2025, Shantaram is ranked #48 on the service. The present has a low engagement rating of 0.45, and by no means broke into Prime 10 lists throughout its runtime. Nevertheless, Shantaram continues to be value a watch, and at 12 episodes, it’s straightforward to binge-watch earlier than Amazon Prime Video drops Criminals.

Charlie Hunnam’s Efficiency Carried Shantaram

Shantaram has loads packed into its 12 episodes, however Hunnam’s portrayal of Lin stays essentially the most memorable a part of the sequence. As a former financial institution robber and drug addict, Lin is the protagonist of Shantaram, however isn’t essentially an excellent man, particularly given his previous. Lin isn’t a villain, nevertheless; as an alternative, Lin is a self-reflective man utilizing his second likelihood in India to earn some type of redemption. Lin is a multidimensional character who tries to make good choices regardless of his flaws, and, like his time as Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam is aware of find out how to convey Lin’s complexities whereas nonetheless delivering an fascinating story.

Associated

5 Years Later, Charlie Hunnam’s Forgotten Australian Western Stays Required Viewing for Each Movie and Historical past Buffs

Charlie Hunnam bought well-known for Sons of Anarchy, however his underrated Western movie is a must-see for followers of the style.

In an interview with Collider, Hunnam stated he agreed to play Lin—and assist produce Shantaram—as a result of, “It’s just an incredible odyssey of adventure, love, betrayal, criminality, gods, and everything in between. The adventure of it and the uniqueness of the environment, all of that, felt fresh and exciting to me.” Hunnam, who was first launched to Shantaram in 2015 (the actor acknowledged that he acquired Roberts’ e book “seven years ago”), grew his hair out and shaved his beard to painting Lin. The English actor additionally frolicked perfecting his Australian accent to painting Lin.

Shantaram Was Initially Meant to Be a Movie

Johnny Depp Was Going to Produce and Seem within the Characteristic

Earlier than Shantaram was was a tv sequence, it was initially pitched as a full-length movie. After Roberts’ e book was revealed in 2003, Warner Bros. expressed curiosity in making a movie adaptation and bought the rights for $2 million. Johnny Depp, who had learn Shantaram and loved it, was the primary actor solid for the movie. Warner Bros. by no means introduced who Depp was solid as, though it is protected to imagine Depp would’ve performed Lin. Roberts wrote the primary screenplay for Shantaram; in late 2005, Warner Bros. employed Eric Roth (who beforehand wrote the screenplay for Forrest Gump (1994)) to rewrite Roberts’ screenplay.

Associated

10 Flawless TV Exhibits That Are Solely 2 Seasons Lengthy (& Excellent to Binge)

Some exhibits which are 2 seasons lengthy are excellent for a weekend binge with wealthy tales, sharp twists and no long-term dedication.

Warner Bros. tried to adapt Shantaram for nearly a decade, however the challenge was finally scrapped by 2015; the primary point out of Shantaram being made for Apple TV+

occurred in 2018. The movie model of Shantaram confronted issues much like these of the tv sequence. One cause why the unique plan by no means got here to fruition was due to artistic variations between the manufacturing workforce.

One other wrench that was thrown into the manufacturing schedule was the 2007-2008 Writers’ Guild of America Strike, which lasted from November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008. Finally, Depp provided his position in Shantaram to Joel Edgerton (who performed Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen), however that wasn’t sufficient to save lots of the challenge. After an abundance of challenges, Shantaram was lastly delivered to life, and followers of Charlie Hunnam’s different works ought to give it an opportunity earlier than Hunnam’s subsequent challenge, Crinimals, is launched.