He’s known for his brooding presence in a succession of high profile movie roles, with not even a bathroom attachment on his face in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES diluting the onscreen intensity. But British actor Tom Hardy has also been building an impressive slate as a producer, with his company Hardy Son & Baker now striking a two year first-look deal with NBC Universal International Television Production. Having previously joined forces with Ridley Scott and the BBC for forthcoming period adventure Taboo, he and business partner Dean Baker will be getting access to a whole new market in the States.
Hardy is also forming strong working relationships with some of the brightest in the industry, collaborating with writer/director Steven Knight for trapped-in-a-car movie LOCKE and taking part in the new series of Knight’s Peaky Blinders. With the Blinders creator also on scripting duties for Taboo it seems the small screen will be where the rising star hangs his battered hard man’s hat for the foreseeable. Not that it will take him away from the big screen just yet – Kray Twins picture LEGEND (in which you’ll get two Hardys for the price of one) is about to start shooting and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is revving its engines. A statement from Baker is an encouraging hint at what the pair will offer:
“Tom and I love cinema of the 70s – the films of Scorsese, Coppola, Altman, Kubrick, and it’s clear that modern day television has become the dramatic equivalent of those films. At its best, television with its deeply nuanced characters and complex narratives is, by far, the most exciting and ambitious dramatic medium.”
While some actors are renowned for their habit of interfering with the production process and thinking they could do better, Hardy is looking like the real deal. The pitch for Taboo is gutsy, not least due to it being an action adventure romp with the name of a fruity beverage, and the man who played Charles Bronson is clearly serious about making good quality output. If he produces the way he acts we could be seeing some exciting shows headed our way over the next couple of years.
Source: Deadline
