Alexi Hawley has set his sights on a new project that has entered development at Hulu. Inspired by Adam Ciralsky’s Vanity Fair article, The Envoy, will be based on Roger Carstens and his work at the State Department over the last four years, according to Deadline. Carstens and his team managed to bring more than seventy hostages back to the United States.
Ciralsky and Hawley had previously worked together on The Rookie, the ABC production that tells the story of John Nolan (Nathan Fillion). The crime drama series follows Nolan as he signs up to be the oldest rookie in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department. The Rookie is produced by Lionsgate Television, and it was recently renewed for a seventh season. Ciralsky and Hawley have managed to turn the show into a major success for ABC, making their work on The Envoy an attractive asset for streaming platforms. Hulu found itself in a bidding war with Netflix to develop the series.
Hawley also created The Recruit for Netflix. The series is led by Noah Centineo, who plays a newly hired lawyer for the Central Intelligence Agency named Owen Hendricks. Everything changes when the character runs into Max Meladze (Laura Haddock). The former CIA asset traps Hendricks in a mess of convoluted international politics. The Recruit was renewed for a second season by Netflix, with principal photography for the new episodes starting earlier this year.
What Will ‘The Envoy’ Be About?
Roger Carstens holds a legacy as an excellent hostage negotiator. The Envoy will focus on one fictionalized hostage scenario across an entire season. Ciralsky spent a year observing Carstens and his line of work for the development of his article, witnessing negotiations and recovery missions as part of his coverage. More details regarding the premise of the first season of The Envoy haven’t been revealed at this time.
The Envoy didn’t need plot details to be in high demand for studios. The Rookie and The Recruit have proven that Hawley knows his audience very well, and what every project needs to reach its target demographic. Though production for Season 2 of The Recruit faced delays following the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the spy adventure is getting ready to return to the screen soon.
A release date for The Envoy hasn’t been set by Hulu. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates. In the meantime, you can stream The Rookie on Hulu or watch The Recruit on Netflix.
