Charlie Hunnam’s Next Moves: Inside the Projects Lined Up for the Pacific Rim Star
Post-Pacific Rim, Charlie Hunnam is ditching the safe lane for darker roles, prestige dramas, and big-swing television — his boldest career turn yet.
Charlie Hunnam is loading up like he is back on a bike and headed into the storm. After years of bouncing between brooding crime guys and big-screen bruisers, he is suddenly stacked with roles that are darker, trickier, and way more character-first. If you loved the high-wire emotional mess of Sons of Anarchy but wished he would lean less Pacific Rim and more psychological thriller/espionage drama, this slate is basically that.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story (Netflix )
Hunnam is back in Ryan Murphy's Monster anthology, this time tied to the Lizzie Borden chapter. Filming on 'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story' quietly wrapped on February 20, 2026, and while Netflix is keeping specifics close, Hunnam is expected to play Andrew Borden — Lizzie's father — which puts him right in the center of one of America's most notorious murder cases.
Now, a quick note because the reporting around this has been messy: Hunnam previously headlined the anthology's Ed Gein season. This new one has him as Andrew Borden. Two different true-crime figures, two different seasons. Some early chatter called his Borden role a 'reprise,' which does not track. What does track: audiences responded to his earlier Monster turn, so bringing him back for another era-defining case is an easy win for Netflix and Murphy. Consider this another step in Hunnam's deepening relationship with the streamer and that ever-expanding anthology machine.
Criminal (Prime Video )
Over at Prime Video, Hunnam leads the adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' acclaimed graphic novel series Criminal. He is playing Leo, a brilliant master thief who prides himself on non-violent, precision heists — think brain over brawn, but he can still hit you with both. The ensemble is legitimately stacked: Adria Arjona, Emilia Clarke, Luke Evans, and Richard Jenkins are all in.
The plan is to pull from multiple fan-favorite arcs, including Coward and Lawless, which is exactly what you want if you are going to do Criminal right. Expect a hard-boiled, noir vibe with morally gray operators and a cinematic feel — Prime clearly wants this one in the prestige lane. For Hunnam, Leo is another complex antihero that lets him turn the charm on while keeping the emotions jagged underneath.
Legacy of Spies (BBC One/iPlayer in the UK, MGM+ in the U.S.)
Hunnam is also fronting an eight-part espionage series inspired by John le Carre, drawing from both The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and A Legacy of Spies. He is playing Alec Leamas — yes, that Alec Leamas — which tells you the tone: bleak, cerebral, and grown-up. Matthew Macfadyen is onboard as George Smiley, with Daniel Bruhl in a key role. Production kicked off in early 2026. The show is set for BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, with MGM+ handling U.S. distribution.
This one pushes Hunnam further into the prestige international TV space. It is a sharp pivot from straight-up action to slow-burn spycraft, and he feels like smart casting if the show leans into the moral rot and emotional fallout le Carre built his name on.
The bigger picture
Put it all together and you can see the pivot. Hunnam made the mainstream jump with Pacific Rim, but the roles that stick — and the ones he is chasing now — live in the gray areas: serial-killer lore, doomed spies, criminal masterminds trying very hard not to get blood on their hands. It is a busy new chapter, and honestly, it suits him. If this run lands, it is going to feel less like a swerve and more like the lane he should have been driving in the whole time.