Netflix has officially welcomed five actors to the cast for its forthcoming historical drama miniseries, which hails from Game of Thrones and 3 Body Problem creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Per Deadline, Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Civil War), Paula Malcomson (Parish), and Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey) have officially joined the project, with Whitford and Whigham playing the series regular roles of Secretary of State James Blaine and Senator Roscoe Conkling. As for McKinley Henderson, Malcomson, and Middleton, they will be playing recurring characters Senator Blanche Bruce, Franny Scoville, and Kate Chase Sprague, respectively. They will be joining previously announced cast members Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, Nick Offerman, and Betty Gilpin.
Based on Candice Millard’s Destiny of The Republic novel, Death by Lightning is created and executive produced by Mike Makowsky, with Matt Ross attached to direct all episodes. It is executive produced by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Ross, Bernie Caulfield, and Duncan Muggoch.
“The limited drama brings to life the epic and stranger-than-fiction true story of James Garfield (Shannon), reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau (Macfadyen) — the man who would come to kill him,” reads the logline.
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