Jon Hamm and Shawn Ryan will team up to adapt the “American Hostage” podcast into a live-action TV series.
The “Mad Men” Emmy winner will reprise his narrative role from the podcast with Ryan, who has produced CBS’ “SWAT” and Netflix’s “The Night Agent,” who will produce, a person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
Sony describes “American Hostage” as a “psychological thriller that tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman, a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker, Tony Kiritsis, demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.”
Hamm voices Heckman on the podcast.
Ryan and Eileen Myers, who have previously worked together on “Mad Dogs” for Amazon, co-wrote the script, completing it before the writers strike. Ryan has an overall deal with Sony, and the studio waited until after the WGA strike ended to shop the project to streaming services, an effort that is ongoing. Ryan envisions an anthology style series with a different hostage case for every new installment.
“I grew up in the Midwest when this happened and never heard about it. The more research I did, the more I listened to the podcast, it’s just this incredible sequence of events,” Ryan told The Hollywood Reporter. “This idea of when a newsman goes from covering the news to being part of it — is it worth it to do that to save a life or two? — the ethical questions we’re addressing have a ton of resonance to the anger that exists in our country right now.”
Hamm’s guest star role on “The Morning Show” as tech titan Paul Marks just wrapped with the end of Season 3 of the Apple TV+ drama. He also enters the “Fargo” universe for Season 5 alongside Juno Temple. He will also play Coach Carr in the upcoming “Mean Girls” film starring Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho and Christopher Briney, Jenna Fischer, Ashley Park and Tina Fey.