Peter Craig: “Ridley Scott gave his rhythm and his visual identity to Dope Thief”

How was the new Apple event criminal series imagined? His screenwriter tells us about his influences, the role of Ridley Scott and the Place de Philadelphia in this story of robbers overwhelmed by events. Interview.

Excellent screenwriter of The Town (2015) and The Batman (2022), Peter Craig team up with Ridley Scott To adapt the novel Dope Thief In an intense thriller, which explores the shallows of Philadelphia, through the run two crooks in the short week, who robbed the bad people … Meeting.

First: what attracted you to the novel dE Dennis Tafoya and made you want to adapt it in a television series?
Peter Craig: I always really liked the stories of crooks, whether in films or books. And myself, as the author of detective novels, I have often written in this genre. I love people who disguise themselves to make blows, it is an excellent base for talking about the characters, because that means that they cannot accept to the bottom. So when I read Dennis Tafoya’s book, I immediately understood what I was going to be able to do it on the screen. Even if I only adapt the first part of the novel concretely.

Is it a true story? Or is it inspired by real events?
It is a little bit inspired by a true story, because Dennis found this story by reading newspaper articles, in the early 2000s. Guys who got arrested after having grown as DEA agents. Because yes, it happened (laughs). There are people who do that! Everything exists today.

The series rests a lot on the dynamics between the two main characters. How did you build this relationship between Ray and Manny?
For me, two friends have been linked since childhood by trauma. They met in a recovery house, they grew up together in this very hard setting. There is this very strong fraternity, this idea that they were in the trenches together, if you see what I mean. Except that this creates a form of codependence which does not allow them to exceed this trauma. We are linked by childhood trauma and it is quite tragic at the bottom. These guys are taken in a negative spiral. Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura play this perfectly. They became friends very quickly during the shooting, they went to dine together regularly and what was a relationship of colleagues who respected themselves became a real story of friendship.

Why do they do what they do according to you?
The neighborhood in which they live is so rotten by drugs that they cannot really get things done. So as much as they are entitled to part of the cake. Or rather their share of chaos, as they say. Afterwards, they have a moral sense. They are not as violent as the thugs that they strip.

The series actually speaks of choice, moral compass. How do we capture these issues without falling into melodrama?
Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura bring obvious lightness. I talked about it with them from the start: my theory is that in these kinds of terrible situations in which they find themselves, you have to joke! We make jokes to defuse the pressure, the tension. This is what gives this somewhat offbeat tone to the series, a kind of black humor to survive.

The place is also crucial in Dope Thiefalmost as if the city of Philadelphia She herself was a character. Was it very aware of you?
Yes, we thought Philadelphia as a character in its own right. These guys are part of Philly. They are loyal to the city, so to speak. To the point where they are afraid to leave … Even if fundamentally, they would be more likely to get out of it or even survive elsewhere! Leaving, it would be like cutting an arm for them. So they hide in the corners of Philly, whom they know by heart. This gives the series a fairly claustrophobic atmosphere.

The Wire had done that too with the city of Baltimore …
Yes, it’s true, there is that. I love the city of Philadelphia. I had done the same with Boston a little when I wrote The Town For Ben Affleck. But the Boston districts are not really as hard as we showed in the film. Especially today, where they were largely gentrified. Philadelphia resisted that. She remains equal to herself, whatever happens, in a somewhat stopped way. It is really a city with character, which does not allow itself to be done, which affirms its personality. It’s great for writing stories, because we find more authentic characters, locals rooted in their neighborhoods. In my opinion, Dope Thief is also a kind of tribute to the sincerity that transpires from the city.

What were the main influences, both in terms of gender and narration, which have shaped the tone and style of Dope Thief ?
We talked a lot about colors with Ridley Scott and Erik Messerschmidt, the photo director. We wanted this very gray image, of eternal twilight. Erik had brought photos of the film Fargo (1996) of the Coen brothers, to give us an idea of ​​what he wanted to do, inspired by these faded images, but shooting even more towards gray. It really feels like being in an endless winter. In tone, I went to get the thrillers of the 1970s. I always loved how these films manage to alternate very hard moments and very funny moments. The best example is One dog afternoon From Sidney Lumet (1975) that I saw a thousand times. There is this idea of ​​injecting comedy in moments that seem so anchored in reality.

Ridley Scott is involved as director of the first episode and executive producer. What was its influence on the series?
He had a huge impact on the series, especially on his aesthetics, the visual style of Dope Thiefthat we tried to establish from the pilot that Ridley achieved. And then he gave the hectic rhythm of the series. Everyone has followed suit.

Looking at your career, Dope Thief seems to be a more intimate story compared to your big previous projects as The Batman. Was it a deliberate choice?
It’s funny that you said that, because we really tried to do The Batman Like an intimate film. We wanted to incorporate this indie approach into a big blockbuster. This is what Matt Reeves suggested to me. One evening, I went to see him in his office and he said to me: “I want to make an indie Batman!” I would like him to be sensitive, a little emotional, something that looks like a Kurt Cobain. For months, we have worked to write a character who is consistent with comics, but who is at the same time on the two fingers of mental illness. A very real type. Now I don’t work on the script of The Batman 2. Because I have spent the last three years writing Dope Thief And so Matt is writing the rest with Mattson Tomlin.

Dope Thief, to see on Apple TV + and Canal + in France since March 14, 2025.