Giancarlo Esposito is staying in business with AMC, with the renowned actor set to star in the newly greenlit drama series “The Driver” for the basic cabler.

The six-episode first season is based on a U.K. format created by Danny Brocklehurst and Jim Poyser. Brocklehurst and Sunu Gonera developed the new series for U.S. television. It focuses on a taxi driver (Esposito) whose life is turned upside down when he agrees to chauffer a New Orleans-based Zimbabwean gangster notorious for exploiting undocumented immigrants at the U.S. southern ports. The show is slated to debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2023.

“I am over the moon excited, enthused, and inspired to be in collaboration with the stellar network and creative team of AMC!” Esposito said. “Thanks for believing in me. It’s great to be back home!”

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Esposito will executive produce “The Driver” in addition to starring. Gonera and Brocklehurst also executive produce, with Gonera set to direct the first episode. Theo Travers serves as executive producer and showrunner. Josh Kesselman and Danny Sherman of Thruline Entertainment also executive produce along with Barry Jossen and and Tana Jamieson of A+E Studios. AMC Studios will produce in association with Thruline and A+E.

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Esposito earned widespread acclaim for his role as Gustavo “Gus” Fring on the hit AMC series “Breaking Bad,” reprising the role in the prequel series “Better Call Saul.” He picked up an Emmy nomination for playing the character in 2012 on “Breaking Bad” and another two for “Better Call Saul” in 2019 and 2020. Esposito has also twice been nominated for Emmys for his role as Moff Gideon on the Disney Plus “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” His other recent TV roles include “The Boys” and “Godfather of Harlem.” On the film side, Esposito is known for his collaborations with Spike Lee in features such as “Do the Right Thing” and “Mo’ Better Blues” among others.

He is repped by ICM, Thruline Entertainment, Jackoway Austen Tyerman, and ImPRint. Travers is repped by Echo Lake Management and Felker Toczek Suddleson.

“Giancarlo is a singular talent who is already beloved by AMC viewers through his standout performances in ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul,’” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We are excited to be continuing his relationship with AMC and AMC+ in a series built around him and an unforgettable character who takes what he thinks is a straightforward job opportunity and finds himself confronted with a world that tests him in ways he could never have imagined.”

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