Apple Studios has secured the rights to Elliot Ackerman’s upcoming novel Sheepdogs in a competitive year-end book deal, with the studio reportedly paying a seven-figure sum. The adaptation will be developed as a series by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone, the team behind acclaimed projects like Masters of the Air and Greyhound. The novel, which will be published in summer 2025 by Alfred K. Knopf/Penguin Random House, attracted eleven bidders in a heated auction.
Sheepdogs tells the story of Skwerl and Cheese, two elite paramilitary soldiers grappling with life after devastating personal and professional setbacks. Skwerl, an ex-Marine and former CIA paramilitary operator, recruits Cheese, a legendary Afghan pilot now working at a gas station, into a covert network of operatives called “sheepdogs.” Tasked with repossessing a private jet stranded in a remote African airfield, their mission spirals into chaos when their contact vanishes, their handler’s motives come into question, and the people in their lives—including a pregnant wife and a dominatrix—become entangled in their dangerous pursuit.
The ensemble cast of characters includes an eccentric bomb technician-turned-survivalist, a lapsed Amish adventurer, a Congressman with a used car dealership background, and a mysterious case officer known as the White Russian. Together, they navigate the murky underbelly of modern warfare and intelligence, hoping to find redemption in a high-stakes world where nothing is as it seems.
Elliot Ackerman, a former Marine Corps special operations leader, brings authenticity and depth to his writing, as seen in his previous works, including Halcyon, Green on Blue, and Waiting for Eden. He also co-authored 2034 and 2054 with Admiral James Stavridis, further cementing his reputation for crafting compelling narratives rooted in military and geopolitical themes.
Playtone’s involvement in Sheepdogs marks another ambitious project for the production company. Following the success of Masters of the Air, their WWII series for Apple, and the upcoming sequel to Greyhound, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman continue to deliver high-quality, gripping stories.
For crew members and production professionals, Sheepdogs presents a unique opportunity to work on a series blending action, intelligence, and complex character-driven storytelling. With development now underway, this project promises to be a standout in the evolving landscape of modern television.
Stay tuned for updates as Sheepdogs takes its next steps toward production. This series is poised to bring an explosive and thrilling narrative to screens, showcasing the high stakes and unpredictable nature of covert operations in today’s world.
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