AR Content, founded by Academy Award-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky (Leviathan, Loveless), has optioned the television rights to “The Specialist,” the cult action-thriller book series written by John Shirley, published under the pen name John Cutter. Shirley’s novels, which also served as inspiration for the 1994 Warner Bros. feature film starring Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, are being reimagined by AR Content for the small screen. The series brings the material into the present day, exploring the moral and tactical complexities of modern, drone-era warfare. AR Content is in active discussions with showrunners. 
AR Content has secured rights to all eleven books in the series. As the original rights remain with author John Shirley, AR Content is uniquely positioned to develop “The Specialist” outside the traditional studio framework, combining the creative flexibility of independent production with the scale and polish of premium television.
In this updated version, “The Specialist” is a morally conflicted former military drone operator haunted by his past and desperate to reclaim his humanity. Drawing from real-time battlefield developments from the war in Ukraine and beyond, the series will integrate cutting-edge technology never before seen on television, including FPV drones, kamikaze UAVs, thermite attacks, and fiber-optic drones – devices capable of destroying tanks, dismantling organized crime networks, and bypassing traditional security measures. Given the absence of current defenses against such technology, “The Specialist” exposes how the rules of war are being rewritten in real time.
“I’ve experienced firsthand how modern war is reshaping our world and have felt a deep responsibility to explore its consequences and meaning through storytelling,” said Alexander Rodnyansky, founder of AR Content.“‘The Specialist’ is an opportunity to expose and examine a world shaped by remote warfare – where technology has changed the rules of engagement, but the emotional and psychological toll remains deeply human. At the same time, we’re building this series using an international co-production, independent model that allows us to maintain ownership while bringing the story to audiences worldwide.”
John Shirley, author of “The Specialist” series adds: “My Specialist Books (written as John Cutter), are about one man fighting for justice for other people, other causes, against titanically dangerous institutions of criminality or oppression – in the reborn “The Specialist” from AR, our hero extends his reach with the power of innovative technology at the cutting edge and beyond. Because science fiction has become reality.”
