Jon Bernthal has found his next big role.The Walking Deadstar will be creating, starring in, and co-writing the upcoming Amazon drama seriesThe Bottoms, a passion project that Bernthal had been secretly developing for the past decade. Ben Watkins (Burn Notice) is co-writing the series with Bernthal with the two both serving as executive producers alongside Reinaldo Marcus Green. The project hails from Automatik.
There aren’t yet any details about the roleJon Bernthalwill be playing, but information about the story has been revealed.The Bottomswill follow “interconnected systems of family structures, friends and neighbors, law enforcement, and criminality all intersecting in Shreveport, Louisiana in the early ’90s. Set in a particularly wild corner of the Deep South, the show will examine the inflection points, the blurred lines, and the human cost on all sides.”
Bernthal’s breakout role came in 2010 when he playedShane Walshon the AMC zombie dramaThe Walking Dead. He served as a primary antagonist and lead character until Shane’s demise at the end of the second season, though he’d make multiple cameos in later seasons. He has made a name for himself on the big screen as well, which includes a memorable role in Edgar Wright’s acclaimed movieBaby Driver. He has also appeared in movies likeFord v Ferrari,The Peanut Butter Falcon, andSweet Virginia.
Marvel fans have also come to love Bernthal for playing Frank Castle inThe Punisherseries onNetflix. The show, a spinoff series, came about after Bernthal previously debuted as the character on Marvel’sDaredevil.The Punisherwound up having two seasons of its own before Netflix parted ways with all of its Marvel shows. Fans have been calling for Bernthal to return to the role ever since, perhaps with a new season on another streaming service. For his part, Bernthal has said that he’s up for a return toThe Punisherif the opportunity presents itself.
“There’s always hope,” Bernthal said of a potential return to the role ofFrank Castle. “When we get the call to go, I’ll be ready, and I’ll make sure that I do everything I can to make sure that we do it right, or we won’t do it at all.”
Meanwhile, Bernthal’sThe Bottomsco-writer Ben Watkins served as a writer and producer for the USA seriesBurn Notice. Also an actor, Watkins also appeared on the series as the character Ricky Watkins. Watkins also created the crime drama seriesHand of Godwith Ron Perlman and Dana Delany which spanned for two seasons onAmazon PrimeVideo. More recently, Watkins had worked on a planned reboot of the crime drama seriesNew York Undercoverat ABC, although he network ultimately didn’t pick up the show.
Along with his planned work onThe Bottoms, Bernthal has several other jobs lined up for next year as well. He can be seen in starring roles in the Warner Bros. moviesKing Richard,The Many Saints of Newark, andThose Who Wish Me Dead. Additionally, Bernthal will continue to work on the small screen with starring roles on the FX anthologyPlatformand the Showtime dramaAmerican Gigolo. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
