Andrew Garfield, who was recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his performance as Detective Jeb Pyre in Under the Banner of Heaven, will play British entrepreneur and billionaire Richard Branson in Universal International Studios’ limited series Hot Air, according to Deadline. David Leitch, who directed Deadpool 2 and Hobbs and Shaw, a Fast and Furious sequel, will direct the programme. It will be a six-episode limited series written by Jon Croker, who previously worked on the writing for Paddington 2. It will revolve around Branson’s firm, Virgin Airways, and his battle with British Airways as he rises to the top of the airline industry.
Dirty Tricks: British Airways’ Secret War Against Virgin Atlantic, authored by Martyn Gregory, will be the basis for the series. Founded in 1984, Branson’s firm has now become a household name. Due to the rapid expansion of Branson’s firm in the 1990s, British Airways used dirty methods against Virgin Atlantic, including a smear campaign utilising fake tales and attempts to get inside knowledge, until Branson sued. Hot Air might be a compelling and thrilling series for viewers if it had a compelling backstory like that. Both Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, and Tick, Tick… Boom!, directed by Lin-Manuel, was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Garfield.
As Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man series (2012–2014), he is most recognised for his appearance with Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a multiversal crossover film. Hot Air, under the direction of Leitch and starring Garfield, has the potential to provide an in-depth examination of Branson’s conflict with British Airways. Leitch, Kelly McCormick and Dan Seligmann from 87North will serve as co-executive producers with Garfield and Croker, as well as Two&Two’s Babak Anvari and Lucan Toh and StoryFirst’s Michael Grade, Peter Gerwe, and Ivan Dunleavy. Due to the fact that the series is currently in the early phases of production, there is no specific release date.