A new show at Paramount Plus which began life as a Ray Donovan spinoff series is in the final stages of securing itself one hell of a cast. Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan are in final negotiations to star in The Associate from director Guy Ritchie. Wowza.
Should the trio sign on the dotted line, Deadline hears that Tom Hardy would star as Harry, the fixer, “a man who is as dangerous as he is handsome.” Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan would also star as the crime family’s matriarch and patriarch.
Previously, The Associate was believed to be a Ray Donovan spin-off called The Donovans, which had the following synopsis:
“With the most powerful clients in Europe, The Donovans will see family fortunes and reputations at risk, odd alliances unfold, and betrayal around every corner, and while the family might be London’s most elite fixers today, the nature of their business means there is no guarantee what’s in store tomorrow.” Guy Ritchie will was to direct The Donovans and executive produce alongside series writer Ronan Bennett.
The original Ray Donovan series starred Liev Schreiber as the title character, a professional fixer who arranged bribes, payoffs, threats, and other illegal activities for the benefit of his powerful clients. It aired for seven seasons on Showtime before it was cancelled without warning, but a feature-length film was released in 2022, which concluded the story.
Bennett spoke about the Ray Donovan spinoff earlier this year. “We’re going to deliver a show which provides massive thrills, entertainment and a huge rush of adrenaline for audiences around the world,” Bennet said. “At the same time, I’m totally focused on exploring real characters, in body and in soul, and I’m committed to writing stories with deep dramatic impact. We’re going to get under the skin of the criminal underworld, in a way which will show you the bone-deep truths of how they live and how it sometimes will – inevitably – impact on our own lives.” With Hardy, Mirren, and Brosnan onboard (or just about), I think people are going to be very excited about this one.
What do you think of this casting for The Associate?