'The Gold's Jack Lowden to Lead Apple's Untitled 'Berlin Noir' Adapation

Apple TV+ is doubling down on its burgeoning line-up of British-written gritty thriller adaptations. The latest addition to the investigations is an adaptation of Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir series. The project, which has been in various stages of development hell since the pandemic, will begin at the end of the series (because when has Apple done things in logical order?) with the final novel, Metropolis, which details protagonist Bernie Gunther's first case. First announced as heading into production in April 2025, the series has apparently found its Gunther in Slow Horses' Jack Lowden.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Lowden, who will next star on PBS in The Gold, will take on the role of Gunther. (Apple TV+ has not officially announced the casting, and did not respond to queries by press time.) The news is surprising, since Lowden's current role in Slow Horses (also streaming on Apple TV+) would seemingly preclude starring in another series. However, with Slow Horses' production a full two seasons ahead of itself — Season 5 debuts in September 2025; Season 7 is currently filming — and the series rapidly running out of novels to adapt, perhaps the announcement is being held until Slow Horses is ready to announce its conclusion.

If so, a Berlin Noir series would fill the spot left by Slow Horses nicely. Metropolis is a 1920s-era set story, released posthumously in 2019, and would serve as a fine introduction to a series with the potential to run at least 10 seasons. (Kerr passed away from cancer in 2018, so Metropolis has the distinction of being both the first and last book in the 14-novel series.)