John Malkovich is one of those rare actors that only pops up once a generation. With complete ease, he can slide into the role of a maniacal villain, a quirky sidekick, or even simply play himself. His next project will take him into fairly familiar territory for anyone who has watched premium cable over the last few years: the drug trade. However, as the details have come forward, it's looking more and more like this television project could wind up becoming one of Malkovich's best works to date.
According to Deadline, it appears that John Malkovich has found his next major project in the small screen world. Titled Humboldt, the series is based upon a novel of the same name by author Emily Brady. It will center on the iconic and secretive community in Northern California that has become characterized by the growing, cultivating, and selling of marijuana. Although details remain somewhat scarce at this point, the report seems to indicate that John Malkovich will portray the leader of a crime family whose livelihood depends on the green plant. That definitely seems like a role we can see him slipping into like a well-worn glove.
Right off the bat, I can definitely guess what you're thinking: this sounds a bit like shows that we've seen before. What sets Humboldt apart from Breaking Bad, Weeds, or even Narcos? While plenty of TV shows have delved into the notion of the drug trade, Humboldt seems like a different beast altogether. As general attitudes towards marijuana have significantly relaxed in recent years, and as California inches closer and closer to finally legalizing the once feared herb, the series will evidently take a close look at how a criminal enterprise such as this one deals when its very livelihood is threatened.
It's worth noting that making the move to television for NBC's Crossbones represented a major career change for John Malkovich, and its lack of extended success had many worried he might have given up on the medium, since all of his most iconic roles came from the silver screen world. Thankfully, the content of Humboldt must have proven enough to get him to consider switching sides, and if nothing else, that seems like a serious vote of confidence.
Don't expect Humboldt to play nice when it premieres, either. The project is currently aiming to be picked up by a premium cable network, or a streaming platform such as Netflix. Furthermore, the show has enlisted the talents of director Carl Franklin (Bloodline, House of Cards, The Affair) to direct. With that in mind we can likely expect all of the gritty sex, drug use, and violence that goes into the typical portrayal of an American criminal family.
We will bring you more information related to Humboldt as more details are made available to us. For more information concerning all of the most highly anticipated fall television debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive fall premiere schedule ad mark your calendars appropriately.
