Prime Video is throwing open the doors to a high-adrenaline, multi-layered underworld with the official rollout of its first teaser and promotional stills for Criminal. It is admittedly an ambitious adaptation stemming from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' critically acclaimed, multi-Eisner-winning graphic novel saga. The gritty crime anthology is splitting its debut rollout into two distinct chapters in January 2027: Criminal Part One: Coward drops its four-episode block on January 13, swiftly followed by Criminal Part Two: Lawless hitting all four of its episodes on January 27.

The teaser has sparked a burning desire in fans to see this stacked cast of the anthology on screen as soon as possible. Anchoring the sprawling production is a heavy-hitting main ensemble featuring Charlie Hunnam, Adria Arjona, Luke Evans, Emilia Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, Halper, John Hawkes, and Logan Browning. 

Furthermore, the call sheet is stacked with an impressive roster of recurring and guest talent, including Michael Mando, Garrett Hedlund, Patrick J. Adams, Pat Healy, and Taylor Selé, Aliyah Camacho. Marvin Jones III, Michael Xavier, Dominic Burgess, Chris Diamantopoulos, Lawrence Kao, Katie Stevens, John Pyper-Ferguson, Robert Lee Hart, Aina Brei'yon, and Kyle Davis are also joining. 

As seen in the teaser, the series kicks off with a complex dynamic between two lifelong associates: Leo Patterson (Hunnam) and Ricky Lawless (Halper). Tensions reach a boiling point when Ricky's military veteran brother, Tracy (Evans), returns to town, dragging buried family trauma right along with him. Their orbit quickly ensnares sharp-witted car thief Greta (Arjona) and Ricky's girlfriend, Mallory (Clarke), who grows increasingly terrified of the dangerous lengths he will go to survive.

Is James Gunn’s Adria Arjona Secret a Lose-Lose Cause Now?

Coming back to the reactions to the teaser, fans have greeted the drop with overwhelming enthusiasm.

The promo clip dropped by Prime Video titillates fans with its star-studded cast and more than that the first-time pairing of Monster star Charlie Hunnam and Hit Man fame Adria Arjona. Most of them cannot wait to see more of them in the series. There is also enough hype for Fast & Furious alum Luke Evans and Game of Thrones veteran Emilia Clarke, who seem to be the main leads of the second part of the series.

“Hunnam as leo, a thief who won't carry a gun and always knows the exit. good pick,” opined one user.

“Hunnam, Arjona, Clarke, Evans — Criminal just stacked the January calendar,”  complimented another.

“Charlie hunnam, adria arjona, emilia clarke and luke evans sharing a screen is a very good reason to clear some space on my watchlist. splitting it into two parts has me curious about how this story unfolds,” commented a user.

There are a plethora more who are just enthused about the casting, while some others are just stoked by the teaser and are heavily invested already.

“Damn, I will watch it for the casting,” exclaimed one user.

“Interesting I’m all in,” claimed another.

“Intriguing!” commented someone.

The upcoming adaptation boasts a powerhouse creative engine behind the scenes as well. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are heavily involved as executive producers alongside Philipp A. Barnett, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Jordan Harper, Sarah Carbiener, Dee Rees, and Halley Gross, writing and directing. The collaborative muscle is added to by co-executive producers Cortney Norris and Minhal Baig.

Bringing this massive underworld vision to life is a collaborative production coalition uniting Amazon MGM Studios, and Basement Gang, Inc. Big Indie Pictures, Inc., Gowanus Projections, Inc., and Legendary Television Productions, Inc. follow right behind.   

Prime Video Generates Tens of Billions in Annual Revenue as Content Spending Surges, Claims CEO

Are you also eagerly waiting for Criminal to release soon? Do let us know.