Deadline reported that English actress Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Nocturnal Animals) has been cast opposite Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile) and Jeremy Strong (Succession, The Apprentice) in Paramount+’s upcoming limited series 9/12. The six-part series follows the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, during which several first responders fought vicious legal battles for compensation after falling gravely ill.

Via Deadline, 9/12 dramatizes a landmark case that reshaped the fight for accountability in a relentless legal war over nearly a decade, helping to secure almost $1 billion in compensation for first responders after documented resulting illness from the conditions of Ground Zero:

Strong will play renowned class action lawyer Jason Smith, reports Deadline, who risked it all to take on the entrenched institutions that compounded the tragedy of 9/11 onto the first responders and emergency workers’ bravery and unity during and after the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Pepper was cast as Coach, former NYPD police officer and 9/11 first responder who suffers from leukemia because of his experience at Ground Zero. While he begins as reluctant in suing the city, he grows to become the face of the lawsuit in the name of helping other victims.

The newly cast Riseborough will play Molly, the wife of Coach – a resilient woman strongly motivated and caring in getting her family and her husband the proper care and help to be secure. She is a key part in the story of the suit; demanding help where others were ignored, inspired by Jason’s (Strong) expert legal maneuvers. 

The series, originating from Paramount Television Studios and Sister, is written by Frank Pugliese (House of Cards, Homicide: Life on the Street) and Tobias Lindholm (The Good Nurse, A War), the latter of which also serves as director. Per Deadline, Pugliese, Lindholm, and series star Strong also serve as executive producers. 

Riseborough has accumulated several recent credits, including Good Boy and Dragonfly, with upcoming projects such as The Queen of Fashion, First Woman, Ebenezer, and High End. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as alcoholic Leslie Rowlands. From Deadline, she is represented by Untitled Entertainment, UK’s Independent Talent Group, CAA, and Felker McGinnis & Ryan.