Bring On Dirty John, and the Eric Bana-issance

Bravo has released a teaser trailer for its new show, Dirty John (adapted from the podcast of the same name): the true-crime story of a seemingly perfect man who turns out to be a complete—and very real—nightmare. The trailer dropped on the same night that Dirty John himself, Eric Bana, appeared with Connie Britton, who will star opposite him as Debra, his unwitting victim, at the 2018 Emmys. The Internet went crazy, and rightly so: Bana is the perfect Dirty John because he does seem to be, well, perfect, but also has proven that he can be very, very creepy. Which makes this the ideal occasion to discuss the fact that we’re extremely ready for the Bana-issance, as it were; it’s time for Eric Bana fever to sweep the continent. Here’s why:

Eric Bana Is the Perfect Dirty John

Dirty John, which started as a Los Angeles Times podcast before getting adapted by Bravo, tells the story of Debra Newell, a single mother and successful businesswoman in her early 50s who falls in love with a handsome, wealthy doctor named John Meehan after meeting him online, until he ends up wreaking havoc on her life. The story gets crazier and crazier from there, involving multiple generations of their two families, with an incredibly dramatic ending. And it delves into the serious topics of abuse and manipulation, about which Dirty John serves as a cautionary tale.

When Dirty John was announced as an anthology show commissioned by Bravo, it was met with excitement: The thriller is the perfect narrative for a True Detective-like series, and will be written by Alexandra Cunningham, primarily known for her work on Desperate Housewives. And when it was announced that Bana will play the handsome, terrifying John, it sealed the deal.

“I have to tell you something. For a long time I tried to lie to myself about how lonely I really was,” he says directly to camera in the teaser, his face glowing forth from a pitch-black background. “I think most people are, they just try to hide it like I did. But when you fall in love you realize how lonely you’ve really been,” he says. “I feel like I was blind before I saw you. Like, I never loved anyone before I knew you.” He stumbles over a line, repeats himself, adjusts: The viewer realizes that he’s in fact practicing a soliloquy of sorts, performing as a vulnerable guy, and the effect is seriously unnerving (and somehow exhilarating? He’s incredibly attractive). Connie Britton, for her part, looks like the perfect Debra, who is actually vulnerable. (Run, Debra!)

Eric Bana Is Really, Really Hot

Did you forget that Eric Bana is very hot? There really isn’t much left to say except, it’s time to remember.

Eric Bana Is Funny!

This doesn’t seem like a requisite for playing Dirty John, but Bana’s sense of humor will help with the campiness of the show—it’s set it Newport Beach, and if Cunningham brings any of her Desperate Housewives sensibilities to the show, then it will likely veer between intense and a little zany. Great! Eric Bana actually got his start in a sketch comedy series called Full Frontal, and is listed as a comedian on his Wikipedia page.

Eric Bana Is Australian

We’ve been waiting to crown a new Australian man of the moment ever since the Hemsworths got overexposed and Russell Crowe took that pretty severe downturn over the last few years. Eric Bana is Australian! Perfect. Here’s a picture he shared of a rescued baby wombat:

Eric Bana Is Coming Back

Bana has played some sweet heartthrobs (The Time Traveler’s Wife), not-so-sweet heartthrobs (The Other Boleyn Girl, Star Trek, Munich), and heroic heartthrobs (Troy) but he hasn’t been commanding enough attention on-screen since he played Hulk way back in 2003—until now, that is, where he’ll ooze charm and sociopathy as John. (He also recently played Piet Blomfeld, a remorseless murderer in prison in postapartheid South Africa across from Forest Whitaker in The Forgiven, so he’s been practicing.)

Basically, we’re predicting a surge in Bana fandom (Bana stans?) when Dirty John airs later this year. Maybe the actor will even get on Instagram—so far, he’s only on Twitter, where he mostly shares his enthusiasm for motorsport. So just remember: We told you so. And for now, here’s a photo of a young Eric Bana on a bicycle:

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