Jason Bateman isn’t simply starring in an upcoming TV series; the actor will also direct and executive produce Ozark, a new series for MRC and Aggregate studios, Deadline reports. Unlike the legendary comedy he’s perhaps best known for, Arrested Development, Ozark will be an hour-long drama.
As the title suggests, Ozark will take place around the American mountain range, specifically Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. Little is known about the plot so far, but it will reportedly center on drug-money laundering. The series is created by Bill Dubuque, who co-wrote the film The Judge, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Billy Bob Thornton, Dax Shepard, and more. Along with Dubuque, Bateman and Mark Williams have been influential in the development of the series; the three all serve as executive producers.
Bateman starred as Michael Bluth during Arrested Development‘s original three-season run, which ended in 2006. When Netflix gave the sitcom new life, he reprised his role as a member of the dysfunctional family. Season 4 aired in 2013, and season 5 is scheduled to premiere in spring 2016, according to the show’s Executive Producer Brian Grazer.
Aside from Arrested Development, Bateman has spent most of his time working in film, both in front of, and behind the camera. He’s starred in numerous films, including big budget fare like Horrible Bosses, and he has also recently begun to take on directing jobs for smaller films. To date, he has both starred in and directed two movies: 2013’s Bad Words and this year’s The Family Fang, with Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken.
Ozark is expected to begin production in spring 2016. The show will be shopped to premium cable and digital outlets by MRC (which also created House of Cards for Netflix, and Blunt Talk for Starz), so it has yet to be determined where Ozark will land or when it will premiere.
