Jamie Bell Joins Richard Gadd HBO Series, Retitled 'Half Man'
Jamie Bell in 'All of Us Strangers'
Searchlight Pictures
It feels rather anticlimactic to announce that Richard Gadd has cast Richard Gadd in the lead role of the latest Richard Gadd series, his first follow-up to the excruciating Baby Reindeer that Netflix clearly thought no one would watch. But that's the headline for the latest update on the project, which was first commissioned as part of the slew of 2024 titles by the BBC and then picked up by HBO, who at least would fact-check the series before putting it out for public consumption. Luckily, some actually decent actors are also joining the series, with Jamie Bell (D.I. Ray) signing on to co-star.
The series was initially called Lions, but that came caveated as a "working title," which is a polite way of saying, "The BBC and HBO hate the title; change it." Gadd has obliged, with the first casting announcement swapping the show's moniker to Half Man, which is quite possibly worse. Gadd and Bell will play two BFFs who grew up together in the same neighborhood and were once upon a time so close that they formed a sibling-like relationship. However, that soured at some point, and now the two men — Niall (Bell) and Ruben (Gadd) — are fully estranged.
The series is set in Scotland and is expected to film there beginning in early 2025. The rest of the cast will be revealed in due course.
Richard Gadd as "Donny" in Baby Reindeer
Netflix
Here is the 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 their 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?
Series creator Gadd will pen all six episodes of the new series. Directors Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck will split helming duties, with Wendy Griffin producing. Gadd also executive produces alongside Tally Garner & Morven Reid for Mam Tor Productions, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland.
Half Man is expected to debut on the BBC and HBO in the latter half of 2025.
