Everything We Know About Lazarus, The New TV Series Starring Tom Hardy And Zazie Beetz

Apple TV+ is kind of an oddity in the streaming world — it doesn't have the kind of draw as some of the big dogs like Netflix or HBO Max, but it does have some incredible original programming. Seriously, it's worth checking out for at least a month and binging all of "Mythic Quest," "Ted Lasso," and "Severance" out so far. Now it looks like there might be another reason to check out the streaming service, as Deadline reports that a new murder mystery series called "Lazarus" will be coming to Apple TV+. Why is "Lazarus" exciting? It's set to feature "Deadpool 2" and "Atlanta" star Zazie Beetz and "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and "Peaky Blinders" star Tom Hardy in the lead roles, which sounds amazing. 

The series is still in very early development, which means that everything here is subject to change and will be updated as new information comes out, but honestly "murder mystery with Zazie Beetz and Tom Hardy" is all I needed to be interested. Here's everything we know so far about "Lazarus," coming to Apple TV+ (hopefully) sometime soon. 

Because this announcement is still so fresh and production is still in its earliest stages, there's no word yet on when we'll be able to see "Lazarus" hit our TV screens. What we do know for sure is that we'll be watching it on Apple TV+, the streaming service from Apple, because they're producing and releasing it (according to Deadline; Apple didn't respond to their request for comment). 

"Lazarus" is based on the Joona Linna book series by Lars Kepler (a pseudonym for authors Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril). The series has been lauded by critics and readers alike. The story follows police inspector Joona Linna as he helps solve a number of crimes, and "Lazarus" is the seventh book in the series. According to Deadline, the Apple TV+ series will revolve around the mystery of a young man found wandering on a train track who was the presumed victim of a serial killer some 13 years prior. In order to find the sister, police detective Saga Bauer (Beetz) goes undercover in a maximum security psychiatric hospital in order to get closer to the serial killer himself, Jurek Walter (Hardy). 

Here's the official synopsis for the novel:

"A mysterious killer is brutally murdering Europe's most loathsome criminals. When police discover that two of the victims have disturbing connections to Detective Joona Linna, it's clear that somebody's trying to send him a message. As the body count rises, the evidence seems to point to a ghost from Joona's past ... the most terrifying villain he's ever had to face."

Looking up the "Lazarus" novel brings up hits for "Silence of the Lambs," so it's not a huge surprise that Hardy and Beetz's characters might have sort of a Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling sort of relationship, according to Deadline's sources.

As far as casting goes, the only information we have yet is that Tom Hardy and Zazie Beetz are involved, but that's pretty exciting in and of itself. There's no word yet on who will play the famous detective at the center of the book series, but if the gods are good, maybe it'll be one of the Skarsgårds. 

"Lazarus" is set to be written, executive produced, and directed by edgy Norwegian screenwriter and director Øystein Karlsen. Karlsen is best known for being the showrunner behind some wildly successful Norwegian TV shows like "Dag," "One Night," and "Exit." The series will be produced by Hardy Son & Baker, Hardy's production company with producing partner Dean Baker. Additional executive producers include Beetz & David Rysdahl, Kepler, Niclas Salomonsson, A+E Studios, and Range Studios.