Hulu has ordered a three-part docuseries about James “Whitey” Bulger, with Ben Affleck attached to narrate the project. The series, titled Hunting Whitey Bulger (working title), expands the streamer’s true-crime lineup with a story built around one of the most notorious mob figures in Boston history.
The project focuses on Bulger’s rise, long disappearance, capture, and violent death. His case has already shaped major Hollywood films, including The Departed and Black Mass, but this new series aims to present what Hulu describes as the “definitive inside story” of the hunt.
What the docuseries will cover
Bulger led the Winter Hill Gang, an Irish mob group based in northwest Boston. He later went into hiding after his former FBI handler, John Connolly, warned him about a pending RICO indictment, and he stayed on the run for 16 years before being captured in 2011.
The reference material says Bulger was convicted on 31 counts, including racketeering, and was linked to 11 murders. He received two consecutive life sentences and died in 2018 after being beaten to death in prison.
The series will draw from fresh reporting and includes never-before-seen handwritten letters from prison. It also features key figures speaking on camera for the first time, which Hulu says will help tell the full story of Bulger’s pursuit, capture, and killing.
Ben Affleck’s involvement
Affleck will narrate and executive produce through Artists Equity, alongside Kyle Wheeler. His connection to the subject runs deeper than this new project, since he was previously attached to direct a Bulger film with Matt Damon before that version never moved forward.
Affleck’s name adds another layer of familiarity to the material, especially since he starred in The Town, a crime drama that also drew from the Boston underworld. His role here keeps the focus on narration and production rather than acting on screen.
The team behind the series
The three-part docuseries is directed by Zackary Canepari, whose previous work includes Flint Town. It comes from Tom Forman’s Terminal B TV, the company behind Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.
Forman will executive produce with David Metzler, while Claire Read serves as executive producer and showrunner. Authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, who wrote Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture and Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss, are also executive producers, and Jesse Kerns is attached as co-executive producer.
Hulu has steadily built out its true-crime slate, and this series joins titles such as Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, and Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini. With Affleck narrating and the production centered on fresh reporting, Hunting Whitey Bulger is positioned as another high-profile addition to that lineup.
