Top Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan is set to star in the Indian adaptation of John Le Carré’s spy drama “The Night Manager,” Variety can reveal.
Roshan will play an Indian version of the Jonathan Pine character, who was played by Tom Hiddleston (“Avengers: Endgame”) in the 2016 adaptation, which aired on the BBC and AMC, and was produced by The Ink Factory.
The Indian adaptation is produced by Banijay Asia and will start shooting in Mumbai in April, with international locations to follow after travel becomes easier. Roshan’s representatives and The Ink Factory did not respond to Variety’s requests for comment by press time. Banijay U.K. and Banijay Asia declined to comment.
Executives close to the deal told Variety that an official announcement is imminent. Though not confirmed, the Indian version of the property is likely to land at India’s top streamer, Disney Plus Hotstar. Sandeep Modi, who co-created and co-directed hit Hotstar series “Aarya,” is due to direct.
“The Night Manager” is a 1993 novel by British master of espionage John Le Carré, who died in December 2020. The story follows the night manager of a luxury hotel, a former soldier, who is recruited by a government espionage organization, to infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer.
The book was adapted for the BBC and AMC by David Farr (“McMafia”) and the series was directed by Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”). Alongside Hiddleston, the all-star cast also included Olivia Colman (“The Crown”), Hugh Laurie (“Roadkill”), Elizabeth Debicki (“Tenet”) and Tom Hollander (“Us”). The series won several Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Primetime Emmys.
Roshan’s last release was “War” (2019), which collected $65 million worldwide. He is reuniting with “War” director Siddharth Anand for “Fighter” alongside Deepika Padukone (“Chhapaak”). Anand and Roshan previously worked together on “Bang Bang,” the official Bollywood adaptation of “Knight and Day.”
Roshan is represented by The Gersh Agency.