Arriving this fall on Apple TV+, the limited series “The Savant” stars Jessica Chastain and is directed by Matthew Heineman, a filmmaker whose decade of work has established him as one of today’s most vital storytellers. Known for hard-hitting documentaries such as “Cartel Land,” “City of Ghosts,” “The Trade,” “The First Wave,” and “Retrograde,” Heineman has consistently confronted urgent global issues while also turning his lens to more intimate subjects, as in “Tiger.”
His narrative debut came with 2017’s “A Private War,” starring Rosamund Pike as war correspondent Marie Colvin. The film’s unflinching realism earned Heineman a Directors Guild of America nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-Time Feature Film.
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“The Savant” is Heineman’s scripted series debut, but much like his previous work, it’s grounded in reality. Inspired by a true-life story entitled “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?” that appeared in Cosmopolitan in August 2019, “The Savant” follows a woman who infiltrates online hate organizations to prevent violent acts. The story’s blend of fact and fiction is an ideal match for Heineman, and may be the project that launches the filmmaker into the upper echelon of the most talented and in-demand directors working today.
The series stars Jessica Chastain, Nnamdi Asomugha, Cole Doman, Jordana Spiro, Trinity Lee Shirley, and Toussant Francois Battiste. Matthew Heineman serves as director, and writers on the series include creator/showrunner Melissa James Gibson, Frank Pugliese, Jerome Hairston, Amy Herzog and James Anthony Tyler. “The Savant” is based on a story by Andrea Stanley. Maria Cerretani serves as producer, and the executive producers are Gibson, Alan Poul, Jessica Chastain, Kelly Carmichael, M. Blair Breard, Matthew Heineman, Brian Madden, Jerome Hairston, Frank Pugliese, Sharr White, David Levine, Garrett Kemble, and Jessica Pels.
Synopsis:
The tense and thrilling series follows an undercover investigator known as “The Savant” (Jessica Chastain) as she infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to stop domestic extremists before they act.
“The Savant will arrive on Apple TV+ September 12. Watch the first trailer below.
