The Recruit: Release Date, Cast, And More For Noah Centineo's New Netflix Series
Noah Centineo has carved himself a nice niche at Netflix. Thanks to being one of the stars of the "To All the Boys" film series and the film "Sierra Burgess Is a Loser," he has become something of a Gen Z internet boyfriend, and now, it is time for Netflix to properly build his own star vehicle. Well, on December 16, 2022, the world will finally get to see that vehicle in "The Recruit," a drama series in which Noah Centineo both stars and serves as an executive producer.
So, before the series hits the streaming service this winter, let's do a round-up of all we know about "The Recruit" to get all the Centineo heads out there excited (I'm sure they have a dedicated fandom name, but I am too old and too unplugged from the zeitgeist to know what it is).
What is The Recruit about?
"The Recruit" plucks Noah Centineo out of the world of teenagers and their romantic entanglements and into the rough and tumble world of spy craft. He stars as a young lawyer working for the CIA named Owen Hendricks. In his first week on the job, Hendricks comes across a letter by a former CIA asset named Max Meladze (Laura Haddocks) that proposes an ultimatum: either they exonerate her of a crime she has been accused of, or she will expose the secrets of the agency. Being set within an organization known for its secrecy, Hendricks must travel the world and maneuver through the rungs of power to get to the bottom of it all.
We remain light on details of "The Recruit," but once we get closer to the premiere date and see a trailer, we will have a better idea of what the show is all about. Based solely on the image released during Netflix's Tudum event, we do see a cut across Centineo's face, hinting that there's probably some spy action and lurking in the shadows afoot. It's a CIA show: You hope for thrills and intrigue.
Who is in and behind The Recruit
The creator of "The Recruit" is a longtime purveyor of dad television. Creator Alexi Hawley most recently created the Nathan Fillion-starring police procedural "The Rookie" and its soon to premiere spin-off "The Rookie: Feds." His work prior to the Rookieverse had him as a writer and producer on shows ranging from "Castle" to "The Following" to creating "State of Affairs." He also weirdly wrote 2004's "Exorcist: The Beginning," which remains his sole feature screenplay credit. Hawley is a Hollywood workhorse, and he is ready to deliver some meat and potatoes TV.
Spicing things up behind the camera will be Doug Liman, who directed the pilot of the show. The quality of Liman's work does violently swing between the tremendous ("Edge of Tomorrow") to the abysmal ("Chaos Walking"), but if he is on his game, he can make some exciting stuff. Considering his most famous spy-related work was directing "The Bourne Identity," I imagine Netflix is hoping for some of that magic with "The Recruit."
Along with Noah Centineo and Laura Haddock, the cast of "The Recruit" features a couple of other young up-and-comers in Fivel Stewart ("Atypical") and Daniel Quincy Annoh, in first major role. They will be joined by a host of dependable character actors in Vondie Curtis-Hall, Kristian Bruun, Aarti Mann, and Colton Dunn. Curtis-Hall, in particular, has long been one of my favorite "that-guys," and whenever he gets a major role in something, you know you are at least in for a wonderful performance there. As for who all of these people are playing, we do not know quite yet, but all these people make for an intriguing prospect for a TV series.
"The Recruit" premieres on Netflix on December 16, 2022.