Charlie Hunnam Is Back on TV in ‘Shantaram’ —With 1 Very Familiar Prop to ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Fans
Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam is returning to television in the new Apple TV+ series Shantaram. The project has been in the works for years, and filming was delayed numerous times amid production issues and the pandemic. But finally, the episodes have been completed and the series officially has a premiere date.
Charlie Hunnam’s new character has one thing in common with Jax Teller from ‘Sons of Anarchy’
Hunnam is, of course, best known for playing outlaw biker Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy for seven seasons. The role put Hunnam on a motorcycle the entire time — even away from the camera.
“I ride the same bike that I rode on Sons — a Harley Dyna Super Glide.” Hunnam said, per Rumble On. “You know I wish I wasn’t the guy who rode the same bike he rode on his show, but the problem is there’s no better bike out there.”
In his new series Shantaram, Hunnam plays fugitive Lin Ford who is on the run in 1980s Bombay. And in Apple’s just-released first look at the series, Hunnam appears as Lin on the back of a motorcycle.
‘Shantaram’ finally has a premiere date
Along with the releasing the first image of Hunnam’s new series, Apple finally announced a premiere date. Season 1 of Shanataram will feature 12 episodes, and the first three will drop on Apple TV+ on October 14.
After getting the first three episodes all at once, fans will have to wait for a new episode each week for the remainder of the season. This schedule means that new episodes will drop weekly from mid-October through December 16.
Shanataram is based on a 2003 international best-selling novel of the same name from Australian author Gregory David Roberts. Originally touted as an autobiography, Roberts later admitted that he took some creative license with his story.
“Some experiences from my life are described pretty much as they happened, and others are created narratives, informed by my experience,” Roberts said in 2015, per Entertainment Weekly.
What is Charlie Hunnam’s new series ‘Shantaram’ about?
Roberts is a former heroin addict who told his story in Shantaram and the sequel novel The Mountain Shadow. In a plot description of the TV series based on his first book, Apple says that Shantaram follows Lin as he attempts to “get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay.”
“Alone in an unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid the trouble he’s running from in this new place. After falling for an enigmatic and intriguing woman named Karla, Lin must choose between freedom or love and the complications that come with it,” the description reads.
What they don’t tell you in that description is that Lin escapes a maximum-security Australian prison and flees to Bombay. This is where he reinvents himself as a doctor, gets involved with a local mafia boss, and then gets involved in gun-running and counterfeiting to fight against Russian troops in Afghanistan.
While all of this drama is going on, Lin falls in love with an intriguing woman named Karla (Antonia Desplat). And this is what will force him to “choose between freedom or love.”
Shantaram starring Charlie Hunnam premieres Oct. 14 on Apple TV+.
