"Smoke" Trailer: Taron Egerton Plays an Arson Investigator with a Dark Secret in Dennis Lehane’s New Apple Crime Series with Jurnee Smollett
Egerton plays an arson examiner caught in a dangerous game with a hard-charging detective (Smollett) in this dark thriller series based on the true-crime podcast Firebug.
Fire might be one of Earth's primal elements that humans have always feared, but also tried to tame its destructive nature. It's an elusive force that can give us warmth when we need it, as well as unleash devastation in a matter of moments. Not a Christmas goes by without warnings about how quickly a dry tree can turn into a blazing inferno. And how many times have we seen viral videos showing the dangers of fireworks or deep-frying a turkey? Fire is compelling. And it makes a great subject matter for stories, especially when it’s used as both a literal and symbolic threat.
In Smoke, the new Apple series from best-selling crime novelist Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island), Taron Egerton stars as hard-boiled arson examiner Dave Gudsen, who has his hands full investigating a string of devastating fires, all believed to be the work of a mysterious and elusive arsonist. Dave is soon joined by hard-charging police detective Michelle Calderone (played by Jurnee Smollett, from HBO's Lovecraft Country and DC's Birds of Prey).
Calderone is hot on the trail of this unknown arsonist, to which Dave warns that fire isn't something one chases... it’s something that consumes. It’s a hidden world like no other, and playing with fire without respect or understanding will likely get you burned... if not worse.
The question then becomes: what if the arsonist isn’t just a random sick person, but someone who is much more calculated... someone you least expect? Someone hiding in plain sight... someone like Dave Gudsen, a fire expert who knows exactly how to cover his own tracks. If there’s smoke, then there’s fire. But if there’s nothing to pin Dave Gudsen as the arsonist, then how do you catch someone who’s always one step ahead of the flames? Herein lies the tension of the show, as Detective Calderone finds herself on a collision course with a man who may be her greatest ally... or her prime suspect.
Smoke is inspired by the true-crime podcast Firebug, which tells real-life stories of serial arsonists. The cast also includes John Leguizamo, Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, Adina Porter, Hannah Emily Anderson, Ntare Mwine, and Anna Chlumsky.
Lehane, best known as an acclaimed crime novelist, has worked in television for years, writing for shows like The Wire, Mr. Mercedes, and Boardwalk Empire. He previously created the Apple original miniseries Black Bird, which also starred Taron Egerton—this time as a cocky young drug runner coaxed into going undercover for the Feds to draw out a confession from a fellow inmate (Paul Walter Hauser, in an Emmy-winning performance) accused of being a serial killer. With Smoke, Lehane seems to once again be dabbling in the dark side of humanity—this time set against the world of serial arsonists and the people who hunt them.
Smoke is set to premiere June 27th, only on Apple TV+. So if you plan to watch this at home, maybe have a fire extinguisher nearby... just to be on the safe side.
