Watergate Drama From Producer Sam Esmail Will Star Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, And More
Homecoming’sSam Esmailis bringing another podcast to television.
He’ll executive produceGaslit, a drama that focuses on the “untold stories and forgotten characters” of Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal. The series is based on the popular podcastSlow Burn, which debuted in 2017, and the TV adaptation has lined up an impressive cast:Julia Roberts,Sean Penn,Armie Hammer, andJoel Edgertonare all set to star.
Deadlinebrings word about the adaptation, which will haveRobbie Pickering(Mr. Robot, Search Party) on board as the showrunner.Joel Edgertonand his brother,Nash Edgerton, who have been a part of a filmmaking collective for years and have directed four features, 17 episodes of television, and a handful of shorts between them, will direct and executive produce this show.
Penn plays John Mitchell, the ruthless, temperamental, loudmouthed Attorney General, trusted advisor, and best friend of President Richard Nixon. Roberts is playing his wife Martha, who ends up being “the first person to publicly sound the alarm on Nixon’s involvement in Watergate, causing both the Presidency and her personal life to unravel.” Her decision puts her husband in a bind: does he choose his wife, or his President?
Hammer is portraying John Dean, the White House lawyer “torn between his ambition and his struggle with whether he can lie to protect the President.” Edgerton is set to play G. Gordon Liddy, the former FBI agent who finds himself as the primary operative of Nixon’s “Plumbers” unit, who is “tasked with plugging embarrassing leaks in the wake of the Pentagon Papers.”
As you can tell, there’s absolutely no relevance whatsoever to anything happening in today’s American political landscape. None.
“Now more than ever, truth is absolutely stranger than fiction,” Esmail said in a statement. “When Robbie first told me about theSlow Burnpodcast, I devoured it instantly. The second I finished it, I felt compelled to bring this story to television especially after watching the cowardice on display during the recent impeachment hearings. To help realize this important chapter in our country’s history, my first call was to the brilliant Julia Roberts. After her captivating performance inHomecoming, I knew Julia was the only person who could tackle the complex role of Martha Mitchell and lead our stellar cast in adapting this bizarre and controversial narrative.”
There’s no word yet about where this series might land; production company UCP is currently courting premium and streaming platforms, and with this group of talent already assembled, it shouldn’t be long before it finds a home.
