Dennis Lehane Interview: Black Bird
Black Bird, which premieres its first two episodes on July 8, is Apple TV+'s newest true crime thriller. With a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, the 6-episode limited series has already received acclaim from critics for its performances and handling of delicate material. The story follows Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton, Rocketman), whose promising football career is derailed when he ends up in jail thanks to his own poor choices. But his father (played by Goodfellas' Ray Liotta in his final role) is a well-respected cop who brings him a chance to get out early and change lives doing so.
The mission for Jimmy then becomes to enter a maximum security prison and extract key evidence from suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser, Richard Jewell), in order to ensure he stays locked up and can't hurt anyone else. While the intense dynamic between the two fuels the majority of the drama, Black Bird also follows the investigation from the outside as Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear, Shining Vale) and FBI agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi, The L Word: Generation Q) do their best to close the case.
Related: Best Apple TV+ Exclusive Shows & Movies Available In 2022
Screen Rant spoke to creator Dennis Lehane (who worked on masterpieces such as The Wire and Mystic River) about how he meshed the fascinating true story of Jimmy Keene with some fictional moments during the investigation, what Taron Egerton was like as a star and producer, and how Paul Walter Hauser was cast.
Screen Rant: I was fascinated and horrified by this story, and I did not realize that it was a true story at first. What was the process of adapting a true story and turning it into the television show?
Dennis Lehane: There's so much great factual information in here.
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