Ben Hardy lands huge lead in Amazon’s 8-episode ‘Stillwater’
Amazon Prime Video just found the face of its next big genre bet, and it’s someone you’ve probably seen without realizing his name. Ben Hardy has been cast as the lead in “Stillwater,” the streamer’s series adaptation of the Skybound graphic novel, Variety first reported.
Hardy will play Daniel West, an ex-con who receives a mysterious letter that pulls him into the small town of Stillwater. The catch: nothing ages there, no one dies and nobody escapes. That premise alone tells you this isn’t your standard small-town drama — it’s the kind of eerie, high-concept setup that’s made graphic novel adaptations a hot commodity for streamers looking to stand out.
A show with serious pedigree
“Stillwater” was greenlit at Amazon in July with an eight-episode order for the one-hour drama. Greg Berlanti and Carly Wray co-wrote the pilot and serve as executive producers, bringing their overall deals at Warner Bros. Television into the mix. Berlanti’s name alone carries weight in the TV world, and pairing him with Wray signals Amazon is treating this as a prestige swing rather than a quick cash-in on IP.
The series is based on the graphic novel by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Ramón K. Pérez, published under Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment banner, the company behind “Invincible.” Zdarsky executive produces along with Skybound’s Kirkman, David Alpert and Rick Jacobs. Glenn Geller, Berlanti Productions’ Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman and Robbie Rogers, and Jonathan Gabay also executive produce. Warner Bros. Television and Amazon MGM Studios are producing together.
Berlanti and Wray explained why Ben Hardy won the role in a joint statement: “There’s a toughness to him, but also something incredibly open and soulful underneath it. Daniel needs both. From the moment we saw Ben in the role, it was impossible to imagine anyone else.”
Why Ben Hardy is the right bet
If you’ve watched a decent chunk of blockbusters over the past decade, Ben Hardy’s face is familiar even if the name isn’t always front of mind. He played Roger Taylor in “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Angel in “X-Men: Apocalypse,” and his film work also includes “Only the Brave,” “6 Underground” and “The Conjuring: Last Rites.” On television, he got his start on “EastEnders” before roles in “The Woman in White” and “The Girl Before.”
Landing the lead in an eight-episode straight-to-series order is a different kind of opportunity, though. It puts the entire show on Ben Hardy’s shoulders rather than folding him into a larger cast. For a streamer betting big on a genre-bending mystery, that’s a vote of confidence in his ability to carry a season.
What this means for Skybound’s playbook
Skybound has built its reputation on turning comics into television and film properties, and “Stillwater” is another swing at proving that strategy extends well beyond zombie apocalypses. The tone here — a town frozen in time, where death simply doesn’t happen — leans into psychological horror and mystery rather than straightforward genre thrills, which could appeal to a different slice of viewers.
A release window and the rest of the cast haven’t been announced yet. The production plans to film in Social Circle, Georgia, which will stand in for the town of Stillwater, The Walton Tribune reported. Given the size of the creative team already assembled around Ben Hardy, expect more casting news to trickle out as Amazon moves the project toward production.
Source: Variety
Featured image: Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)