According to Deadline, Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) and Betty Gilpin (GLOW) have both joined the Netflix series Death By Lightning. This means they will be joining the likes of Matthew MacFayden (Succession) as well as Michael Shannon (The Flash). The series is about President Garfield’s assassination.
Deadline said that the series comes from Mike Makowsky (Bad Education), who created the show. It also features Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) as director. Along with these critical roles, executive producers include the duo David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones).
Gilpin is being said to play the character Crete Garfield, while Offerman will be playing Chester Author, said Deadline.
Deadline also revealed that “The series will bring to life the stranger-than-fiction true story of James Garfield, reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau — the man who would come to kill him.” The show is based on a book by Candice Millard, titled Destiny Of The Republic.
Deadline leaned into the history behind the book and series, stating that Garfield became President in 1881. However, later that year, he was assassinated. Before becoming president, he had served nine terms as a Congressman. While he was previously elected as a senator, he declined the position upon becoming president. However, while he was in fact elected, he had never truly sought office. Garfield was assassinated by Guiteau, due to his belief that he played a key role in Garfield being elected. The series is set to follow all of these events.
The Hollywood Reporter detailed that Offerman is repped by UTA and Jackoway Austen. Gilpin comes from CAA, Anonymous Content, and Hansen Jacobson. The news of this series also comes just as Benioff and Weiss get ready for the debut of 3 Body Problem, which is the first series that they have showrun.