Brian Tyree Henry To Star In Philadelphia Crime Series ‘Sinking Spring’ For Apple From ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Writer Peter Craig & Ridley Scott

Apple TV+ is heading to Philadelphia for its next crime series.

The streamer is nearing a series order for Sinking Spring starring Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry.

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The series is being written by Peter Craig, who is fresh from a story by credit on Top Gun: Maverick, the Tom Cruise sequel that has grossed over $1.3B worldwide, and The Batman, which he co-wrote with Matt Reeves.

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It marks Craig’s first move into television.

Ridley Scott is directing, marking the latest television project for the Alien and Blade Runner director, who in recent years has directed episodes of HBO Max sci-fi drama series Raised By Wolves.

Craig and Scott are currently working together on Gladiator 2, the sequel to the hit 2000 film.

Based on the book Dennis Tafoya’s book Dope Thief, Sinking Spring follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern seaboard.

It will be produced by Scott Free Productions, which has a first-look TV deal with Apple. Scott has been increasingly moving into television; last year, Deadline revealed that he had teamed with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight on ten-part World War II series Roads to Freedom, which CAA is helping set up as a global co-production.

The director is also already working with Apple on Kitbag, a film starring Joaquin Phoenix playing Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby playing Josephine.

Craig is the writer behind Ben Affleck-fronted Boston bank robber film The Town, as well as the first two parts of The Hunger Games films and Bad Boys For Life. His next film, Mother, that he wrote with Misha Green and Andrea Berloff, is being directed by Niki Caro and stars Jennifer Lopez and Joseph Fieness is set to come out on Netflix later this year.

He will also direct an episode, which would mark his television directorial debut.

Star Brian Tyree Henry is best known for starring as Paper Boi in FX’s Atlanta, which is coming to an end with its fourth season. He has also starred in Marvel’s Eternals, Widows and If Beale Street Could Talk and is starring alongside Kate Mara in FX’s upcoming FBI limited series Class of ’09.

Henry, fresh from starring alongside Brad Pitt in Bullet Train, is also working with Apple on Causeway, a feature coming out later this year.

The series is exec produced by Craig, Scott, Henry, David W. Zucker, Jordan Sheehan and Clayton Krueger with Tafoya will serve as consulting producer

Craig is repped by CAA, Grandview and attorney Don Steele, Scott is represented by WME and Ziffren Brittenham and Henry is repped by CAA, JWS Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. TaFoya is repped by CAA and Glass Literary Management.

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