Mark Ruffalo is getting his “Mare of Easttown” moment. Four years after creator Brad Ingelsby wowed with Emmy-winning series “Mare of Easttown,” the showrunner is back at HBO with another crime drama series: “Task,” led by Ruffalo.
The official synopsis reads: “Set in the working class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent (Ruffalo) heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man (Tom Pelphrey).” The ensemble includes Emilia Jones, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Raúl Castillo, Silvia Dionicio, Phoebe Fox, and Martha Plimpton.
“Task” will debut its seven episodes weekly. Ingelsby is the creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer, with Ruffalo also executive producing along with Mark Roybal and Paul Lee for wiip, David Crockett, and Ron Schmidt. The co-executive producers are Nicole Jordan-Webber and Jeremy Yaches for Public Record. Jeremiah Zagar and Salli Richardson-Whitfield both direct and executive produce.
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As for a return to “Mare of Easttown,” Ingelsby teased to IndieWire in 2021 that he and lead star Kate Winslet were in talks with HBO at the time. “We are all interested in trying it,” he said of a possible sequel, “but we are aware of how hard it is. […] The question is, ‘What’s a deserving second chapter?’”
Winslet later said that she was hesitant to reprise the “frighteningly hard” role again due to its emotional toll offscreen as well. “It was all so good and it was way more success and prominent as a piece of television than I think any of us could have anticipated or hoped for, and we all feel enormously proud of what we were able to do. I feel so proud of all of the actors,” she said in 2022. “My god, it was really tough. So the question is, do you quit while you’re ahead? Do you hold your head high and say, ‘Look at what we did, I’m so proud of that’ and just walk away? Or do we go for it again?”
“Task” will premiere on HBO Max this September. Check out the teaser below.
