.After bringing his break-out hit Baby Reindeer to Netflix, Richard Gadd is teaming up with Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers, Shining Girls, Fantastic Four) for Half Man, formerly known as Lions. Gadd is the creator, writer, and executive producer of Half Man, a drama series that stars Gadd and Bell as estranged “brothers” Ruben and Niall, respectively.
Here’s the official synopsis for Half Man:
“When Niall’s estranged ‘brother’ Ruben shows up at his wedding, it leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults — with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city — a changing world, even — and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question… What does it mean to be a man?”
With Wendy Griffin producing, Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy, Rivals, Joy) and Eshref Reybrouck (Hassel, Undercover, Ferry: The Series) will direct Half Man for HBO and BBC. Filming will take place in Scotland in 2025.
Richard Gadd’s popularity exploded when his biographical drama series Baby Reindeer became Netflix’s hottest show at the start of 2024. The show stars Gadd as Donny, who experiences a warped relationship with a female stalker (Jessica Gunning). The impact it has on him forces him to face a deep, dark, buried trauma.
Audiences became obsessed with Baby Reindeer for weeks, posting theories and spoilers on social media non-stop. The real-life “Martha,” whose real name is Fiona Harvey, launched a lawsuit against Netflix for defamation in September, saying Gadd falsely implied that she sexually assaulted him, gouged his eyes, and had been sent to prison for stalking.
“There is a major difference between stalking and being convicted of stalking in a court of law,” the judge wrote. “Likewise, there are major differences between inappropriate touching and sexual assault, as well as between shoving and gouging another’s eyes. While plaintiff’s purported actions are reprehensible, Defendants’ statements are of a worse degree and could produce a different effect in the mind of a viewer.”
Regardless of how the lawsuit shakes out, HBO and BBC are eager to bring Richard Gadd’s new series, Half Man, to audiences. What do you think about the concept for Gadd’s latest show? Will he have great on-screen chemistry with Jamie Bell? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.