Jessica Chastain will star in and executive produce the limited series “The Savant” on Apple TV+, the network announced Monday.
The limited series is inspired by a true story published by Cosmopolitan about “a top-secret investigator known as the Savant infiltrating online hate groups,” though additional details about the plot and characters are being kept under wraps.
In addition to starring in the lead role, Chastain will executive produce through her film and television production company Freckle Films. “Anatomy of a Scandal” and “House of Cards” alum Melissa James Gibson will write and serve as showrunner, while “Cartel Land” filmmaker Matthew Heineman directs.
Hailing from Fifth Season and Anonymous Content, Chastain, Gibson and Heineman will executive produce alongside Kelly Carmichael, who executive produces with Chastain for Freckle Films, and Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Jessica Giles.
Hearst Magazines SVP of development Brian Madden will produce while Andrea Stanley, who wrote the original Cosmopolitan feature that inspired the series, will consult. Cosmopolitan is published by Hearst Magazines. Stanley, who previously served as features director at Cosmopolitan before contributing to the publication as a freelance journalist, has covered a wide slate of topics, ranging from politics to health, with her work featuring interviews with New York’s attorney general Letitia James, Parkland shooting survivor Jaclyn Corin, and Alyssa Milano, among others.
Launched by Chastain in 2016, New York-based production company Freckle Films recently Showtime limited series “George & Tammy,” which starred Chastain and Michael Shannon, as well as feature film “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”
Chastain is represented by CAA, Mosaic and imPRint while Gibson is represented by CAA and Manage-ment and Heineman is repped by CAA, Cinetic Media and Sloss Eckhouse Dasti Haynes. Hearst Magazines is represented by WME.
Following recent releases of Apple TV+ series including “Ted Lasso,” “Extrapolations” and “Shrinking,” the network unveiled first look images and a May premiere date for Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen’s upcoming comedy series “Platonic.”
