Daniel Craig will star in Showtime’s limited series adaptation of an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s latest novel “Purity.”
The drama was picked up straight to series with a 20 episode order. Scott Rudin is executive producing alongside Craig. Todd Field is directing and also executive producing, along with Eli Bush, David Hare and Franzen.
The story follows a young woman named Pip who, in her philosophical wanderings, ends up in South America, interning at The Sunlight Project, which deals with all the secrets of the world. Craig will play Andreas, the German founder of the organization who is drawn to Pip. “Purity” is described as a morally complex story of youthful idealism, extreme loyalty and cold-blooded murder.
“Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Purity’ is an epic American novel that pulses with the energy of a psychological thriller. I whipped through it in a week,” said Showtime President and CEO David Nevins. “His gripping and timely story has attracted a powerhouse team – Todd Field, Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, David Hare, along with Franzen himself, and the brilliant Daniel Craig who is perfectly cast as the charismatic, mysterious ‘Andreas Wolf.’ Put it all together and PURITY promises to be the kind of taut, long-form, serialized storytelling that is the best of premium television, and is precisely what we at Showtime aspire to deliver.”
Craig’s screen credits include the latest string of James Bond films, as well as “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Layer Cake” and “Munich.” He is represented by CAA.