Apple TV+ has ordered an untitled drama series based on Philip Kerr’s bestselling “Berlin Noir” novels and has cast Jack Lowden in the lead role of detective Bernie Gunther. BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Tom Shankland will direct the series and serve as an executive producer, while Oscar-winning screenwriter Peter Straughan will adapt the books and act as showrunner. The story starts with “Metropolis,” which traces Gunther’s 1928 origin as a newly promoted officer in Berlin’s elite Murder Squad investigating a string of killings on the city’s margins amid rising political turbulence. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman will executive-produce through their Playtone banner alongside Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch and Ryan Rasmussen of Bad Wolf, continuing Apple’s partnership with both production firms.