Jeff Daniels Cast in AMC/Netflix's 'Bannerman' Spy Series — SkimNews
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- Jeff Daniels is set to star as Raymond Lesko in "Bannerman," AMC's upcoming drama based on spy novelist John R. Maxim's books, marking the first series out of AMC Studios' co-production agreement with Netflix.
- "Bannerman" centers on covert operative Paul Bannerman, who convinces the world's deadliest assassins to retire to Connecticut's suburbs, only to find that old enemies and bad habits follow them; Shane Black co-wrote the pilot and will direct the first two episodes.
- Daniels' Lesko is a former NYPD detective now doing hotel security after being thrown off the force for avenging his murdered ex-partner, and gets pulled back in when he discovers his daughter is dating a man who may be more dangerous than he is.
- The distribution deal has "Bannerman" premiering on AMC in the U.S. and Canada, hitting Netflix in those markets 90 days after the season finale, debuting jointly on AMC and Netflix in Australia, New Zealand, and Spain, and running exclusively on Netflix everywhere else worldwide.
- Daniels is a two-time Emmy winner — Lead Actor in a Drama for HBO's "The Newsroom" and Best Supporting Actor for Netflix's "Godless" — and "Bannerman" is his first series-regular role since "American Rust," which ran one season on Showtime and one on Prime Video.
Why it matters: "Bannerman" is the flagship title under AMC Studios' new co-production pact with Netflix, giving the streamer its first U.S. scripted series through that arrangement and AMC a second-window partner with global reach outside the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Spain. For Daniels, landing a central recurring character in Maxim's book series — with AMC explicitly targeting big names for the Lesko role — signals prestige series work returning to his calendar between his Apple TV+ "Morning Show" arc and upcoming Netflix film "2034."
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