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TV News: Discovery’s <i>MANHUNT: THE UNABOMer</i> Title Change and Additional Casting

In a press release:

 

BRIAN D’ARCY JAMES, TRIESTE KELLY DUNN AND ELIZABETH REASER JOIN DISCOVERY’S

SCRIPTED ANTHOLOGY SERIES ABOUT THE INFAMOUS UNABOMBER

 New Title Announced as ‘Manhunt: The UNABOMer’

 

(LOS ANGELES and SANTA MONICA) – Discovery Channel announced that three-time Tony Award nominee Brian d’Arcy James (“Hamilton,” “Spotlight,” “13 Reasons Why”), Trieste Kelly Dunn (“Blindspot,” “Banshee”) and Elizabeth Reaser (“Mad Men” and “Young Adult”) have been cast in the network’s upcoming scripted series now titled “Manhunt: The UNABOMer,” formerly known as “Manifesto,” set to air this year. Produced by John Goldwyn, serving as consultant to Discovery, Lionsgate, Trigger Street Productions and Discovery Channel, the anthology series tells the story about the hunt for Ted Kaczynski, who terrified the nation with a letter bombing campaign in the 1980s and early 1990s. The new title reflects the name given by the original task force created by the FBI and ATF to investigate the “UNABOM” case, a combination of the words “University” and “Airline BOMber.”

 

The series will tell the story of how FBI agent Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington, “Avatar,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) deployed a radical approach to intelligence gathering to take down Kaczynski, portrayed by Paul Bettany (“Gangster No. 1,” “Captain America: Civil War”). Emmy® Award-winning television producer and director Greg Yaitanes (“Quarry,” “Banshee”) will executive produce, direct and serve as showrunner. Andrew Sodroski, whose “Holland, Michigan” topped Hollywood’s famed Black List for screenplays in 2013,  created the series and serves as an Executive Producer. Jim Fitzgerald will serve as Consulting Producer.

 

Brian d’Arcy James

James will play ‘Henry Murray,’ a professor of Kaczynski’s at Harvard University, who convinced his young students to participate in mind control experiments supervised by the CIA. It’s believed that these sessions, which were psychologically brutal and lasted for almost a year, were responsible for effectively weaponizing Kaczynski. Dunn will play ‘Theresa Oakes,’ a librarian at the Lincoln Public Library in Montana, who befriended Kaczynski and engaged him to tutor her 11-year-old son in math; and Reaser will play the role of ‘Ellie,’ Jim Fitzgerald’s wife and the mother of their two children.

 

Discovery also announced Golden Globe® and two-time Emmy winner Jane Lynch (“Glee,” “Hollywood Game Night”) will play the role of former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. Other cast includes Golden Globe® nominee Chris Noth (“The Good Wife,” “Sex In The City”) as character Don Ackerman, the Bay Area Divisional Head of the FBI, who supervises the UNABOM Task Force; Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Roadies,” “Game of Thrones”) as Tabby, a street agent who partners with Fitz; Mark Duplass (“Togetherness,” “Blue Jay”) as David Kaczynski, Ted’s younger brother; Michael Nouri (“Woman Walks Ahead,” “The Slap”) as Penthouse founder Bob Guccione; Ben Weber (“Sex and the City,” “Secret Life of the American Teenager”) as Andy Genelli, former head of the UNABOM Task Force; Jeremy Bobb (“The Knick,” “Godless”) as Stan Cole, a seasoned FBI agent and Ackerman’s “foul-mouthed pit bull”; Lynn Collins (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) as Natalie, a post-doc in linguistics at Stanford; Katja Herbers (“Manhattan,” “The Leftovers”), as Linda, David Kaczinski’s wife; and Brian F. O’Byrne (“Mildred Pierce,” “Aquarius”) as Frank McAlpine, the FBI’s master profiler and Fitzgerald’s professor who leads the Behavioral Analysis Unit.  This series features both Bettany and Worthington’s first major leading roles on U.S. television.

 

James was awarded the 2016 SAG Award, Critics Choice Award, Gotham Award and the Independent Spirit’s Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble for his portrayal of Matt Carroll, one of the four critical members of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team opposite Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Mc Adams in the 2016 Best Picture Oscar winning film “Spotlight.” He is a celebrated stage actor who has received three TONY nominations for his work on Broadway: Nick Bottom in the currently running hit musical “Something Rotten,” “Shrek in Shrek the Musical” and Sidney Falco in “Sweet Smell of Success.” In 2015 he also originated the role of King George in Lyn Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” at New York’s Public Theater. Additional Broadway credits include: the role of Banquo opposite Ethan Hawke in the Lincoln Center production of “Macbeth,” starring alongside Laura Linney, Christina Ricci and Eric Bogosian in the hit play “Time Stands Still” and starring in the Pulitzer Prize–winning play “Next to Normal.” Television fans know him most noticeably for his roles on NBC’s “Smash,” Showtime’s “The Big C” and the Award-winning HBO movie “Game Change.”  He also appeared in the 2015 film “Sisters” with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. He has multiple projects in the works including Netflix’s  new TV show, “13 Reasons Why,” and the feature films “Felt,” “Molly’s Game,” “Song of Back and Neck,” “1922” and “Trouble.”

 

Trieste Kelly Dunn

Dunn graduated with a BFA from the North Carolina School of the Arts. She can currently be seen recurring on NBC’s “Blindspot” and in Bob Byingtons upcoming indie comedy “Infinity Baby” premiering at SXSW. TV credits include a series regular role on the Cinemax hit series “Banshee”, and recurring and guest star roles on NBC’s “Believe,” “The Good Wife,” “Almost There,” “Golden Boy,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Bored to Death” and “Canterbury’s Law.” Dunn has been in many critically acclaimed indie features and was named one of the 25 faces of film in 2010’s filmmaker magazine.  Her leading roles in the following NY Times Critics pick indies are; “Applesauce,” “Loves Her Gun,” “Cold Weather,” “The New Year,” “Vacation!” She can also be seen in Paul Green Grass Oscar nominated “United 93.”

 

Elizabeth Reaser

Reaser’s film credits include “Ouija: Origin of Evil;” “The Twilight Saga;” “Films 1-5;” “Hello, My Name Is Doris;” “One and Two;” “Sweet Land” (Newport Beach Film Festival Award; Independent Spirit Award nomination); “Stay;” “Liberal Arts;” “Young Adult;” “The Art of Getting By;” “Puccini for Beginners;” and “The Family Stone.” She also has appeared on multiple television series including  “Easy,” “Mad Men,” “True Detective,” “The Good Wife,” “The Ex List,” “Grey’s Anatomy” (Emmy, SAG, and Prism award nominations), “Saved,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Sopranos.” As a stage actor, her off-Broadway credits include:  “The Babylon Line” (Lincoln Center Theater); “Permission” and “The Money Shot” (MCC);  “How I Learned to Drive” (2ndStage Theatre); “The Winter’s Tale” (CSC); “The Hologram Theory” (Blue Light Theater Company).

 

Production began in Atlanta on January 30.

 

 

Source: ©2017 Discovery Channel. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.