Michael Chiklis, a veteran actor known for FX’s groundbreaking series The Shield, has been cast in Fox’s new anthology series, Accused, according to Deadline. The Gotham actor reunites with Shield‘s studio, Sony Pictures Television, and Fox Entertainment for the adaptation of the BBC crime drama.
According to Deadline, Chiklis will star in the show’s premiere episode, which will be directed by Michael Cuesta (Dexter, Homeland). The series itself is based on BBC One’s Accused created by Jimmy McGovern (Cracker, The Street) in 2010. The show details a single crime from the perspective of the defendant. Initially bringing viewers into the courtroom before a verdict is read, the narrative unfolds in flashbacks tracing the defendant’s choices that resulted in their current predicament.
“We are thrilled to have Michael leading our first episode. He was the first actor we thought of when casting Accused,” Dawn Steinberg, EVP Worldwide Talent & Casting, Sony Pictures Television, said via Deadline. “He’s been a valued member of our Sony family since The Shield and we couldn’t be happier to be working with him again.”
Chiklis is set to portray brain surgeon Dr. Scott Corbett who tests the limits of unconditional love when he discovers his son may be planning a school shooting, via Deadline. The series lands the actor back on Fox where he last portrayed Nathaniel Barnes on the DC Comics series, Gotham. He can be seen on March 6 in HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers from Adam Mckay.
According to Deadline, the series is executive produced by Homeland’s Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa who are joined by David Shore (House, M.D., The Good Doctor). Additional executive producers include Frank Siracusa (Hellions. The Handmaid’s Tale), John Weber (Tomato Red), Glenn Geller (America’s Most Wanted), Erin Gunn (Battle Creek, Houdini and Doyle), and All3Media America’s Jacob Cohen-Holmes (Betrayed, Gameday Commute). McGovern will executive produce under All3Media International along with Louise Pedersen (Blood, Van Der Valk), Roxy Spencer (The Street, Vincent), and Sita Williams (Bansiehd, The Forsyte Saga).
“Michael Chiklis and Michael Cuesta, teamed with Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and David Shore, make a powerful combination for Accused,” said Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, Fox Entertainment according to Deadline. “They each are synonymous with high-stakes television, engaging drama and compelling performances, striking the perfect tone required for a series of this caliber.”
The original series aired for two seasons and boasted Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Snowpiercer), Olivia Coleman (The Lost Daughter, The Crown), Robert Sheehan (Misfits, The Umbrella Academy), and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen’s Gambit, Godless) among its cast.