Apple TV+ has debuted a trailer for “Black Bird,” the streamer’s upcoming psychological thriller limited series starring Taron Egerton and Ray Liotta. The project is set to premiere on July 8.
The six-episode series follows Jimmy Keene (Egerton), a high school football hero and the son of decorated policeman “Big Jim” (Liotta), who is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison. He is given the choice of a lifetime: enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) or stay where he is and serve his full sentence with no possibility of parole. “Black Bird” is based on the 2010 true crime memoir “In With the Devil.”
“I never wanted this for you,” Liotta says in the trailer as Big Jim, visiting Keene in prison. “I wanted a totally different life. A steady paycheck. Kids. A family.”
“Dad. Tell me there’s a way out of this,” Egerton says as Keene.
“Not a quick one,” Big Jim replies.
The trailer then sees Keene move to the maximum-security prison, attempting to get close to Hall without raising suspicion about his motives. Hall is eerily soft-spoken, depicted cleaning the prison cafeteria with a bloody mop, calmly discussing his dreams about killing women with his lawyers and in a high-pitched voice, asking Keene, “Why are you looking at me like that? Like you know me?”
Greg Kinnear and Sepideh Moafi also star. Dennis Lehane developed and wrote the series, and executive produces alongside director Michaël R. Roskam, Egerton and Richard Plepler through his Eden Productions. Also executive producing are Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin and Ryan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment; Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert through EMJAG Productions; and Kary Antholis and James Keene. Jim McKay and Joe Chappelle also direct. The series comes from Apple Studios.
“Black Bird” will be the first of Liotta’s remaining projects to debut since he died suddenly on May 26 while shooting the thriller film “Dangerous Waters” in the Dominican Republic. The actor also finished production on “Cocaine Bear” before his death.
Watch the trailer below.