Timothy Olyphant’s New Crime Thriller Series Role Was A Must-Adapt Story From Bestselling Novel Lucky

Apple TV is about to premiere the new crime thriller Lucky, and the showrunners just revealed why one particular storyline from Marissa Stapley's novel needed to be adapted for the small screen.

Lucky stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky Armstrong, a con artist on the run after taking part in a failed heist. With the FBI on her tail, she must always be on her guard. Her father, John Armstrong, is played by Timothy Olyphant, with Annette Bening starring as mob boss Priscilla Matheson and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Agent Billie Rand.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan for Lucky, showrunners and executive producers Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas opened up about adapting the 2021 novel. Tropper said that the father-daughter relationship between Lucky and John is the heart of the story, and they all wanted to make sure that was preserved for the TV show.

Lucky may be a crime thriller with intense and action-packed scenes, but the dynamics between them are what give the series a lot of depth and allow the titular character to delve into the "complicated relationship with herself." The series explores questions around "where our parents stop and we begin, and who we really are allowed to be, and who we want to be and who we've been told to be," which makes for a "rich" storytelling experience.

Jonathan Tropper: "I think, for both of us, it was the father-daughter story. The heart of that novel is this really complicated relationship between Lucky and her father because it also turns into Lucky's complicated relationship with herself. The idea of building a thriller around all those questions we all have about where our parents stop and we begin, and who we really are allowed to be, and who we want to be and who we've been told to be? I think that just felt like really rich material to craft a thriller around."

Pappas, whose writing and producing credits include Silo and The L Word, agreed, adding that she's always been fascinated by how much biology plays a role in those familial dynamics. "How much did I actually genetically inherit?" she pondered. "It's nature versus nurture, and the idea of having to try to outrun that" makes for a great narrative.

Cassie Pappas: "The book and Jonathan had me at father-daughter issues in the best way, just because it's complicated and rich. I'm always fascinated with how much of it is biological. How much did I actually genetically inherit? It's nature versus nurture, and the idea of having to try to outrun that is just fascinating."

Since that father-daughter relationship is at the heart of the story, the showrunners wanted to make sure those core themes and elements translated from page to screen. When it comes to other aspects of the novel, though, Tropper, who wrote the screenplays for The Wrecking Crew and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, admitted that they "changed a lot. We've done a lot of things differently than the novel."

Jonathan Tropper: "We've changed a lot. We've done a lot of things differently than the novel, but what we really adhere to are the core themes and the heart of that relationship."

Aside from Tropper and Pappas, Lucky is also executive-produced by Taylor-Joy, Reese Witherspoon (through her production company Hello Sunshine), Lauren Neustadter, and Jonathan Van Tulleken.

Several of the cast members are no strangers to the small screen. Taylor-Joy won a Golden Globe and SAG Award for The Queen's Gambit; she also appeared in Peaky Blinders and voiced a character in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Bening starred in Apples Never Fall and, just this year, played Beulah Jackson on the Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch.

Meanwhile, Olyphant is best known for Justified and Deadwood, and Ellis-Taylor has had roles on shows like True Blood, The Mentalist, NCIS: Los Angeles, Quantico, Designated Survivor, and Justified: City Primeval. Now they're all coming together for the seven-episode Apple TV series Lucky. Other cast members include Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., Mo McRae, and William Fichtner.

Lucky premieres Wednesday, July 15, on Apple TV.