Netflix Snaps Up A24's Trigger Point With Joel Edgerton Leading a High-Octane Action Drama
Netflix pulls the trigger on A24 action drama Trigger Point, handing the Joel Edgerton-led project a straight-to-series order.
Netflix just snagged an A24 action-crime series called Trigger Point, skipped the pilot stage, and went straight to series. There was a seven-way dogfight for it that came down to Netflix vs Apple TV in the final round. Netflix won. Joel Edgerton is headlining, which is a pretty good sign they plan to make noise with this one.
So what is Trigger Point?
The show follows a crew of former Tier One special operations guys who have taken their very particular skill set off-book. On paper, they run a private military contracting outfit. In practice, they freelance for the criminal underworld while an FBI agent works to bring them down. Edgerton plays Red, one of those ex-operators who has fully crossed the line.
The team behind it
- Star: Joel Edgerton (currently starring in Train Dreams) as Red
- Writer/Showrunner: Harrison Query (Heads of State)
- Director: Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge)
- Producers/EPs: Harrison Query, Jeremy Saulnier, Joe Hipps (Ozark), and Cut To's Patrick McDonald
- Studio: A24
- Where to watch: Netflix
- Order: Eight episodes, straight-to-series
- Fun industry wrinkle: It was the prize in a seven-buyer bidding war that ultimately came down to Netflix vs Apple TV
Why this pairing makes sense
Saulnier knows how to stage tense, gnarly set-pieces, Edgerton thrives in morally gray territory, and A24 dipping into a muscular crime series at Netflix is a savvy way to go broad without losing edge. File this under: high craft meets high velocity.
Meanwhile, if you want Edgerton right now...
He is currently on screens in Train Dreams, a period drama directed by Clint Bentley, who co-wrote the script with Greg Kwedar. It is adapted from Denis Johnson's 2011 novella. Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, an orphan who comes of age in the early 1900s amid the Pacific Northwest's logging camps and the push to build the railroads. He courts and marries Gladys (Felicity Jones), they start a family, and his job keeps him away for long stretches. After a sudden upheaval, Grainier is forced to confront both the violence and the strange beauty of the wilderness he has helped cut down.
The film made a strong impression at Sundance. Critic Chris Bumbray praised it in a big way, noting it left the festival with a solid distribution deal and calling it one of the standouts of the lineup.
"It is the kind of movie that stays with you long after you see it and will likely rank among the best of the year when all is said and done."
Bottom line: Edgerton has a quiet awards-friendly showcase in theaters now and an A24-backed, Netflix-sized adrenaline hit on deck. Good range, good timing.