Danny Boyle Talks His Decades-Spanning FX Series 'Trust'

Danny Boyle’s second foray into television, after directing the first episode of “Babylon, should be happening soon, as FX gears up Boyle and “Slumdog Millionaire” scribe Simon Beaufoy’s “Trust.” The show tracks John Paul Getty III’s famous mafia kidnapping from 1973 in Rome. It’s a fascinating story that should make for exciting TV. While sitting down with Collider’s Matt Goldberg to discuss “T2: Trainspotting,” Boyle explained the ambitious series, saying:

“We have a television series we’re developing for FX which is kind of like a five-decade family thing, which in theory would happen over five years. Each series would shoot every year for five years, and each series is about a different decade. The first one would be set in the 70s and would happen in Italy and England, and we’re hoping to begin shooting that this summer.”

Unlike other auteurs who are moving into the television world, Boyle will not be directing the entire series:

“No. I will the first two or three. We’re just deciding that at the moment. I’d love to do them all. I think that would be wrong because I think the danger is you are not allowing the form to take over. You’d be doing 10 mini-films, which is not the form. The format is that you’re letting the characters tell the story and directors are an aid to that rather than the driving force. I’m going to limit to two or three. We’re just in the process of deciding whether it should be two or three.”

It’s an interesting answer, especially in the age of director-influenced shows (“True Detective,” “The Knick“). But with Boyle behind the camera, at least in the first episodes, and Beaufoy writing the scripts, it will be a must watch show no matter what.