Joel Edgerton is Florida Man. No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke where we find out that the acclaimed actor is somehow just as bad as the ridiculous criminals and residents of Florida that have inspired countless memes. Joel Edgerton is literally going to star in “Florida Man.”
According to Deadline, Edgerton is set to star and executive produce a TV adaptation of Tom Cooper’s recent novel, “Florida Man.” In the series, the actor will portray a middle-aged beach bum in the jungles of Florida. He lives as the proprietor of a motel and run-down amusement park, and his world gets thrown for a loop when he discovers some deeply guarded secrets about his own family history and the small town he calls home.
Edgerton is probably best known for his appearances in the “Star Wars” prequels. Kidding. He’s actually a great actor with prominent roles in “The Great Gatsby,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” and “Red Sparrow.” He’s also become an acclaimed filmmaker with features such as “The Gift” and “Boy Erased.” Edgerton hasn’t appeared in a TV series in more than a decade, since he starred in the 2009 Australian series, “Dirt Game.” He’s also set to star in another upcoming series, “Gaslit,” alongside Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, and Armie Hammer.
“Florida Man” is created and showrun by Graham Gordy. Previously, Gordy was a writer on “True Detective” and a co-creator on the short-lived drama series, “Quarry.”
It’s unclear where we might see “Florida Man” land. Obviously, with Edgerton attached, this will be a limited series that gains a lot of buzz and will be actively pursued by just about everyone. We’ll just have to wait and see which streaming service ends up forking over the biggest deal for the new series.