Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson to play James Comey and Donald Trump in miniseries
CBS Studios has filled some key roles in its miniseries based on former FBI director James Comey’s memoir “A Higher Loyalty.”
Jeff Daniels has been cast as Comey, while “Harry Potter” actor Brendan Gleeson will play President Donald Trump in the four-hour series, CBS Studios announced Monday.
Additionally, “House of Cards” alum Michael Kelly will take on the role of FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Tony-winning actress Jennifer Ehle will play Patrice Comey, James Comey’s wife.
Screenwriter Billy Ray called Daniels, an Emmy winner for his roles in “The Newsroom” and Netflix’s “Godless,” “perfect for this part.”
“We talked backstage after I saw him in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ on Broadway, and I knew I was looking at the only person who could play Jim Comey,” he said in a statement. “Lucky for me, he said yes.”
Gleeson, who best known for playing Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody in the “Harry Potter” movies, is the star of Audience Network’s “Mr. Mercedes,” where he plays a retired detective.
“It’s hard to imagine a bigger acting challenge than playing Donald Trump,” Ray, who will also direct the series, added. “You have to have presence, and a singular kind of dynamism. You also have to have the courage and the will to play Trump’s psychology from the inside out.”
Ray, who wrote “Captain Phillips” and the upcoming movie “Richard Jewell,” researched the project for over a year in order to make the drama “a fair, responsible and comprehensively documented account of real-life events,” according to CBS Studios.
“He traveled to Washington, D.C. and several other cities to meet with Comey, his family, and many other key players, including prominent journalists, FBI agents, government officials from both political parties and others,” the studio said.
Comey served as the director of the FBI from 2013 until 2017, when he was fired by President Trump.
His book released in April 2018.
Alex Kurtzman, Shane Salerno and Heather Kadin are executive producers on the miniseries. Production is slated to begin in November.
There is not currently a premiere date.
