Rebus: Richard Rankin talks about his new series

Shortly after filming wrapped on Outlander Season 7, Richard Rankin returned to the set to take part in a new project. As announced last March, the Scottish actor will play a well-known hero of Scottish literature: Inspector John Rebus. In France at the end of April to attend an Outlander convention, Richard Rankin spoke briefly about this new opportunity in his career.

Who is John Rebus?

For those unfamiliar with John Rebus, the character was invented by Ian Rankin and first appeared in 1987 in the novel Knots and Crosses.

A police inspector in Edinburgh, John Rebus was 40 years old when the first book was published, and he grew older with each publication. By the time Exit Music was published in 2007, John Rebus had reached retirement age and left the police force. However, this did not mean the end of his adventures as three more novels were published.

Intelligent, stubborn, honest, and an inveterate drinker, this character is part of the Scottish heritage.

A new adaptation expected in 2024

Already played on the small screen by John Hannah and Ken Stott, John Rebus will this time take over the features of Richard Rankin for the adaptation signed ViaPlay. Expected in 2024 on the streaming platform, the series will be based on a story written by Gregory Burke and Ian Rankin, as the creator of the character himself confided: “Rebus has been a big part of my life for a long time now and to work with Gregory Burke to create a new story that sees him navigate life as a younger man in a contemporary (and ever-changing) Scotland has been a truly fascinating process. I’m very much looking forward to watching Richard bring the character to life — he’s the perfect fit for the role, and not just because we coincidentally share the same surname!“

An enthusiasm that Richard Rankin shares. While he can’t reveal any details about the upcoming season, which he is currently filming, the actor confides that he is particularly proud of the show’s authenticity. An adaptation that does not seek to be glamorous or to water down its subject matter in order to reach a wider international audience.

The series, starring a young version of Rebus, will follow the detective as he finds himself at a crossroads in his life after a run-in with a notorious Edinburgh gangster. Embroiled in a toxic affair he knows he must end, faced with a department run by technocrats, and all but eclipsed in his daughter’s life by his ex-wife’s new husband, Rebus wonders if he still has a role to play as a family man or as a policeman.