Dan Stevens and Betty Gilpin have boarded the cast of Starz’s upcoming Watergate drama series, Gaslit, described as “a modern take” on the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon. The respective stars of Legion and Glow will join an ensemble that already includes Sean Penn and Julia Roberts.
The Wrap reports that Gilpin and Stevens have both joined the Gaslit cast to play “infamous” couple Mo and John Dean, the “young duo who were wrapped up in the political scandal while John was serving as a White House lawyer under the Nixon administration.” Also joining the cast alongside Gilpin and Stevens are Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island) as G. Gordon Liddy and Darby Camp (Big Little Lies) as Marty Mitchell, who will both be series regulars.
Based on Slate’s Slow Burn podcast, Gaslit is a modern take on Watergate that “focuses on the untold stories and forgotten characters of the scandal – from Nixon’s bumbling, opportunistic subordinates, to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes, to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the whole rotten enterprise crashing down.”
Taking the lead are Sean Penn as Richard Nixon’s loyal attorney general, John Mitchell, and Julia Roberts as Mitchell’s Arkansan socialite wife, Martha, whose story is what kicks things off in the podcast. Like the podcast, Gaslit appears to focus on the behind-the-scenes stories that fell by the wayside of the well-known Watergate scandal. As the official podcast synopsis states, “You think you know the story, or maybe you don’t. But Watergate was stranger, wilder, and more exciting than you can imagine. What did it feel like to live through the scandal that brought down President Nixon? Find out on this eight-episode podcast miniseries hosted by Leon Neyfakh.”
The show has seen some turnaround since it was first announced last February. Joel Edgerton was originally set to appear in the series and direct, but exited alongside his brother Nash Edgerton, who was going to executive produce. Also gone is Armie Hammer, who was going to appear in the show but has since left, presumably due to the same swirling controversy that found him leaving The Offer. Hammer would’ve played White House Counsel John Dean, while Edgerton was set to play G. Gordon Liddy.
Now Matt Ross is set to direct and executive produce, alongside Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton of Esmail Corp. and Robbie Pickering, who will also serve as showrunner. Also executive producing are Roberts, under her banner Red Om Films, along with co-executive producers Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill. Anonymous Content and Slate’s Gabriel Roth and Josh Levin will also executive produce. Leon Neyfakh, who created the podcast, will consult on the project.
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