The Pinkerton: Jason Bateman to helm a historical detective drama for Warner Bros.

Last Updated on February 8, 2023

Jason Bateman is partnering with Warner Bros. and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot for The Pinkerton. No, this isn’t a making-of-documentary about Weezer’s 1996 sophomore album. The project is an original feature about Pinkertons, which Bloomberg says is a private security guard and detective agency founded around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born flatfoot Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker. Initially known as the North-Western Police Agency, the outfit became Pinkerton & Co., then the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

The Pinkerton is the first project from a deal between Bad Robot and Warner Bros. In addition to directing the film, Bateman is executive producing with Michael Costigan. Abrams and Hannah Minghella also produce through Bad Robot.

According to Pinkerton, the group saved president-elect Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt before the famous leader of the United States took office. Thankful for the save, Lincoln hired the Pinkertons as his security guards during his presidency. According to Deadline, Bateman’s The Pinkerton is a supernatural revenge-Western hybrid. Setting the story in a world with supernatural elements gives Bateman a wide net regarding the project’s action and otherworldly drama.

Jason Bateman is a busy bee after completing his Netflix series Ozark. He’s starring in Charlie Day’s Fool’s Paradise, about a dim-witted man who becomes an accidental celebrity only to lose it all. Travis Fimmel, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Glenn Howerton, Jason Sudeikis, Lyndon Smith, Katherine McNamara, and the late Ray Liotta also star.

Bateman directed several television episodes, including chapters for Family Matters, Arrested Development, and Ozark. He cut his teeth on directing features with 2013’s Bad Words and 2015’s The Family Fang. Handling The Pinkerton is a significant and logical step in his expansive career.

Do you think Jason Bateman has what it takes to launch a successful drama with Bad Robot and Warner Bros. footing the bill? What does a supernatural Western revolving around the Pinkerton agency look like nowadays? Will Abraham Lincoln be a part of the story, or will the writers build a new assignment with the established group? We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, feel free to leave your pitches in the comments section below.