Apple is officially adapting Lars Kepler's crime stories and Rory Culkin is now a part of the upcoming series' cast 

Apple TV+ is reportedly working to adapt the internationally bestselling Joona Linna crime novels of Swedish writing duo Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, pen name Lars Kepler, and Rory Culkin is now a part of the upcoming series' cast. The original novels, highly acclaimed for their dark psychological atmosphere and deep narration, have sold globally over 18 million copies and are published in over 40 languages.

Unlike the original Scandinavian milieu of the books, the Apple TV+ series is a reworking of it in the United States, in western Pennsylvania. This is a creative deviation from the originals, adapting Nordic noir themes into fresh geographical and cultural ground. Production will kick off in summer 2025 in Pittsburgh, with A+E Studios in association with Range Studios producing the series.

Rory Culkin to guest star as psychiatric hospital employee in recurring role

Rory Culkin has been added as a recurring actor as Karl, who works at a secure psychiatric unit. Having worked in Swarm, Under the Banner of Heaven, and Lords of Chaos before, Rori Culkin's casting follows his trend of being involved in psychologically complex characters and morally ambiguous ones. His character's exact function within the story's unfolding has not yet been fully revealed, but the psychiatric unit hints at a crossover between the series' core psychological thriller aspects.

Rory Culkin stars in a core cast featuring Liev Schreiber as the lead, playing a reimagined version of author Joona Linna as Jonah Lynn, a vengeful and introspective detective. Zazie Beetz also stars in the main cast as Saga Bauer, a main protagonist from the books reimagined to be placed in the new environment. Stephen Graham also features in the lead cast, although his character information is kept under wraps.

Creative team and production information

The adaptation is led by showrunners Rowan Joffe and John Hlavin, and writer Tim Van Patten is to direct the pilot and second episode. Van Patten's previous credits are Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos, providing years of experience in producing high-end crime drama. Øystein Karlsen, who was originally credited with Nordic TV productions, is an executive producer on the Apple adaptation, not as head writer or showrunner.

That the show will be relocated from Sweden to the U.S. is an intriguing aside from previous adaptations of Lars Kepler's novels, such as the 2012 Swedish movie adaptation of The Hypnotist. But Apple's series won't be limited to The Hypnotist alone. Rather, it will take a more general inspiration from all of the novels in the Joona Linna series, translating the larger themes—trauma, crime, and mental manipulation—to the new American context.

Series premise and themes

The Joona Linna novels have been described as blending police procedure and psychological complexity, generally centering around ethically nuanced choices, mental illness, and trauma. All of these themes are likely to remain the focus of Apple's adaptation even as the cultural and natural world is adapted. The reimagined character of Jonah Lynn will preserve the spirit of the basic traits of Joona Linna—rational analysis, emotional control, and obstinate commitment to justice—yet keep room for fresh development in an American environment.

The addition of a character such as Karl, Rory Culkin, also ensures that the series will tackle the subject matter of mental institutions and, quite possibly, ethics surrounding treatment, manipulation, and control in institutions. These are themes compatible with the overall tone of the first books, which frequently introduce secondary characters embedded in the psychological currents reshaping the story.

No official release date yet

As of now, Apple hasn't confirmed a release date for the new series. With summer 2025 as the start of production, the series will be released in 2026 on Apple TV+. Additional casting news and production updates should be on the horizon in the coming months as the series goes into full production.

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Meanwhile, the Lars Kepler book series adaptation is another big-name addition to Apple's expanding list of literary-based dramas, this one introducing a classically European tale into the world of American suspense. Rory Culkin's attachment adds extra tension, particularly to fans of character-based psychological drama.

Also read: Top 3 crime shows that are based on novels you must watch

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