The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield has just announced that he will be starring as Richard Branson in Hot Air, an upcoming limited series that will follow real-life billionaire Branson as he founded Virgin Atlantic Airways. The series will reportedly be directed by David Leitch, known for his work on Deadpool 2.
Andrew Garfield is probably best known throughout Hollywood for his role as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. The Amazing Spider-Man, which features Garfield as the titular hero and was released in 2012, follows Peter Parker through a familiar origin story as he’s bitten by a radioactive spider, develops spider-themed superpowers, mourns the loss of his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and does his best to woo Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), all the while fighting against various villains like the Lizard (Rhys Ifans). A sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was released in 2014, and Garfield most recently reprised his role as Peter Parker for Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
The Story Behind Andrew Garfield’s Role in ‘Hot Air’
Written by Jon Croker (High in the Clouds), Hot Air will star Andrew Garfield as Richard Branson, the real-life entrepreneur behind Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, and Virgin Media, among other properties of the Virgin Group. The limited series, based on a 1996 novel titled Dirty Tricks, will detail how Branson founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 and soon found himself locked in a war with British Airways, who – unhappy with their airline industry dominance being threatened – reportedly resorted to “dirty tricks”, which included impersonating Virgin Atlantic employees and planting fake news stories about the company.
According to Deadline, Hot Air is currently involved in a “competitive situation with multiple major platforms in the running”, so where the limited series will be released is currently unknown, but we do know that the project will be directed by David Leitch. Leitch’s most recent works include Deadpool 2 (2018) and Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw (2019), but some of his other works include Atomic Blonde (2017), starring Charlize Theron, and the original John Wick (2014), starring Keanu Reeves.
David Leitch will also serve as an executive producer for the series alongside Jon Croker, Kelly McCormick, and Dan Seligmann for 87North (John Wick, Bullet Train); Babak Anvari and Lucan Toh will produce for Two&Two, along with Michael Grade, Peter Gerwe, and Ivan Dunleavy for StoryFirst (Beyond Human Nature).
A release date for Hot Air is currently unknown.
