Television

'The Hunt' Reveals Plot Details, Info On Al Pacino And Logan Lerman's Nazi-Hunting Characters [TCA 2019]

The Hunt Characters
By Fred Topel

During her opening remarks to the Television Critics Association, Amazon Studios head of originals Jennifer Salke confirmed Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Jerrika Hinton would play the lead roles in Jordan Peele's upcoming series The Hunt. This is the third TV series Peele is producing, after YouTube's Weird City and CBS All Access's The Twilight Zone. We also learned a lot more about who those actors are playing.A press release Amazon sent out today described The Hunt as a "Nazi-hunting vengeance drama." The synopsis for the show is as follows:

"The Hunt follows a diverse band of Nazi Hunters living in 1977 New York City. The Hunters, as they're known, have discovered that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the US. The eclectic team of Hunters will set out on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans."

Pacino, Lerman and Hinton are joined by a supporting cast that includes Lena Olin, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Tiffany Boone, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Greg Austin and Dylan Baker. The press release also described their characters:

  • Al Pacino plays "Meyer Offerman," a powerful and mysterious man who is the leader of a vigilante group known as The Hunters. He befriends Jonah after his grandmother's murder and becomes his guide through the world of The Hunt.        
  • Logan Lerman plays "Jonah Heidelbaum," a young man trying to find his place in the world when his Grandmother is brutally murdered in front of him.  His desire for revenge leads him to join The Hunt.    
  • Jerrika Hinton plays "Millie Malone," a brilliant FBI agent (who also happens to be one of the first black, female agents in the bureau).  As she investigates a series of suspicious murders, she is drawn closer to the truth about The Hunters. 
  • Saul Rubinek plays "Murray Markowitz" and Carol Kane plays "Mindy Markowitz" – doting grandparents who are members of The Hunt...and weapons experts.       
  • Tiffany Boone plays "Roxy Jones," a beautiful, street smart member of The Hunters. 
  • Louis Ozawa Changchien plays "Joe Torrance," a Vietnam Vet who was raised in an internment camp and is now a member of The Hunters. 
  • Lena Olin plays "The Colonel," a shadowy figure who is the mastermind behind our villains. 
  • Greg Austin plays "Travis Leich", a fanatical young man whose adherence to the Nazi cause leads him to do whatever dirty job is necessary, no matter how murderous.   
  • Dylan Baker plays "Biff Simpson," a cold and conniving politician. 

    • It's easy to compare this to Inglourious Basterds as it is also historical fantasy about killing Nazis, but there is plenty of room for more takes. A '70s period piece with Pacino in Heat mode mentoring a Donnie Brasco type in Lerman has lots of potential.Peele is also great at taking genres and twisting them. Get Out was a horror movie about race relations. His upcoming Weird City and Twilight Zone will tackle social issues as well. I'd expect more than simple Nazi killings, but if the show is just Al Pacino killing Nazis...that's okay, too!

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