Netflix Plans Hit Man Series
Netflix Developing 'Hit Man' TV Series With Glen Powell and Richard Linklater Attached
Key Points
Deadline reports a detailed producing roster for the project: exec producers include AGC’s Stuart Ford, Miguel A. Palos, Jr. and Lourdes Diaz, while co-executive producers are Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Vicky Patel, Shivani Rawat and Julie Goldstein.
Deadline also outlines how the original film moved from development to Netflix: AGC Studio announced Hit Man in May 2022; it secured international sales before production began that fall, premiered at the Venice Film Festival, then had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival where Netflix acquired it for multiple territories (including the U.S. and U.K.) in a reported $20 million deal.
AV Club notes that the reported series duties would fall to Stephen Falk as the showrunner (handling the “day-to-day” work), and that the coverage does not confirm whether Glen Powell would reprise his role rather than only executive produce.
AV Club adds that Netflix “refused to comment” on the reported development, even as Deadline’s reporting circulated about a Hit Man TV series in the works.
Just Jared reports that this would be Glen Powell’s second series production: his Hulu comedy Chad Powers is “set to return for a second season.”
Netflix is developing a TV series based on its 2024 hit film *Hit Man*, with Stephen Falk set to write and showrun the project, according to Deadline. Glen Powell and director Richard Linklater are both attached as executive producers, keeping the original film's creative team intact.
The film — which Netflix bought for $20 million at the Toronto International Film Festival — earned a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and scored a Golden Globe nomination for Powell. The series remains in development and has not yet been greenlit. Netflix "refused to comment" on the project, AV Club noted.
Gary Johnson's Real Sting Cases Drive the Premise
The story comes from the real life of Gary Johnson, a Houston investigator who worked for the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Johnson posed as a professional assassin to catch people trying to hire hitmen. Journalist Skip Hollandsworth first told his story in *Texas Monthly* in October 2001, calling Johnson the "Laurence Olivier of the field" for his ability to adopt distinct personas.
Johnson facilitated more than 60 arrests through his undercover work, according to AV Club. That case-by-case structure maps naturally onto episodic TV. Each operation featured a new disguise and a different target — giving the show built-in "episodic DNA," as AV Club put it. The series is expected to lean into that rhythm, functioning as an identity-shifting procedural rather than a direct sequel to the film.
From an $8.8 Million Film to a Netflix Franchise
AGC Studios announced the *Hit Man* film in May 2022. It cost just $8.8 million to make. After its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023, Netflix snapped it up at TIFF for $20 million — a deal that covered the U.S., UK, and multiple other territories, Deadline reported. That price tag now looks like a bargain.
The film launched on Netflix on June 7, 2024, and became a major streaming success. It earned a Golden Globe nomination for Powell and a WGA nomination for Adapted Screenplay. Netflix is now following a strategy it has used before — turning a proven film into a series. Recent examples include *The Gentlemen* and *Extraction*.
Stephen Falk Takes the Lead, Powell's On-Screen Role Still Unknown
Stephen Falk, creator of the FX series *You're the Worst*, will handle the day-to-day work of running the show, according to AV Club. The full producing roster is deep: AGC's Stuart Ford, Miguel A. Palos Jr., and Lourdes Diaz serve as executive producers, with Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Vicky Patel, Shivani Rawat, and Julie Goldstein as co-executive producers, per Deadline.
What remains unclear is whether Glen Powell will actually appear on screen. AV Club explicitly flagged that his acting role has not been confirmed — he may only executive produce. Powell is already juggling a heavy schedule. His Hulu sports comedy *Chad Powers* — a six-episode limited series — is set for a second season, Just Jared reported.
Disguise-of-the-Week Format Compared to Alias
Industry observers compare the show's likely structure to *Alias*, the ABC spy drama where the lead character assumes a new identity each episode. The *Hit Man* premise fits that mold well. Gary Johnson rotated personas to get confessions from different targets — a mechanic that works as both plot engine and ongoing character tension. Deadline drew the *Alias* comparison directly in its reporting.
The reported series would shift focus away from the film's romantic subplot and toward a lighter, case-driven format — closer to the real Johnson's psychology work than to the fictional love story Linklater added. Netflix has not confirmed a production start date or episode order. For now, the project stays in development while Falk shapes the scripts.
Sentiment
Mostly PositivePublishers
10
Articles
6
Reach
16
