The rest of the cast of Death by Lightning has been announced. The upcoming series is headed to Netflix and dramatizes the presidency of President James Garfield and his relationship with the man who killed him, Charles J. Guiteau.
Archie Fisher, Barry Shabaka Henley, Željko Ivanek, Kyle Soller, Ben Miles, Vondie Curtis Hall, Shaun Parkes, and Alistair Petrie are joining the previously cast Bradley Whitford, Shea Whigham, Michael Shanno, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Based on the book Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, the Death by Lightning series was created by Mike Makowsky. The latter said the following about the series, per Tudum:
“It’s been the thrill of a lifetime seeing this crack team come together to bring James Garfield and his cohort back from the annals of long-forgotten history. Six years into working on this project, it’s a story I still can’t believe is true — in all its wild, tragic glory — and it somehow feels even more relevant to our world today than ever before. I can’t wait for us to be able to finally share it.”
Netflix revealed the roles the new additions will play:
- Archie Fisher (Steve, Last Days of John Allen Chau) as ‘Joe Brown’
- Barry Shabaka Henley (Forever, Bob Hearts Abishola) as ‘Senator Blanche Bruce’*
- Željko Ivanek (Damages, Walking Dead: Dead City) as ‘Dr. Doctor Bliss’
- Kyle Soller (Andor, Bodies) as ‘Robert Todd Lincoln’
- Ben Miles (The Crown, Napoleon) as ‘George Scoville’
- Vondie Curtis Hall (Harriet) as ‘Frederick Douglass’
- Shaun Parkes (Small Axe: Mangrove) as ‘Dr. Charles Purvis’
- Alistair Petrie (The Night Manager, Sex Education) as ‘John Sherman’
Production on the series has wrapped, and the project will be released sometime next year. The specific premiere date will be announced later.
What do you think? Are you planning to watch this new period drama when it arrives on Netflix?
I have to admit, I vaguely remember who president Garfield was. However, when I read that benioff & Weiss were producing this series, I just felt that this is something that I need to watch.
Looking at that lineup of great actors that are attached to this series, tells me that this will be “MUST-WATCH TV”.