Julia Roberts must have really enjoyed working with “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail on the Amazon series, “Homecoming,” because she’s about to team with him again for another limited series, titled “Gaslit.” And they’re bringing along some A-list talent to help.
READ MORE: Julia Roberts Returns To Amazon To Star In And Produce A New Limited Series
According to Variety, Julia Roberts and Esmail are teaming up for a limited series based on the Watergate scandal, titled “Gaslit.” The series is also set to star Sean Penn, Armie Hammer, and Joel Edgerton. “Gaslit” is based on the “Slow Burn” podcast, which puts the spotlight on the untold stories and forgotten characters of Watergate.
“Now more than ever, truth is absolutely stranger than fiction,” said Esmail. “When Robbie first told me about the ‘Slow Burn’ podcast, I devoured it instantly. The second I finished it, I felt compelled to bring this story to television especially after watching the cowardice on display during the recent impeachment hearings. To help realize this important chapter in our country’s history, my first call was to the brilliant Julia Roberts. After her captivating performance in ‘Homecoming,’ I knew Julia was the only person who could tackle the complex role of Martha Mitchell and lead our stellar cast in adapting this bizarre and controversial narrative.”
As Esmail said, Roberts is set to play Martha Mitchell, an Arkansan socialite and wife to Nixon’s loyal Attorney General, John Mitchell. Her husband in the series will be played by Penn. Hammer will portray a young White House Counsel that is torn between doing what is right and protecting the President. Edgerton is set to play the infamous political figure, G. Gordon Liddy, who worked with Nixon.
Though Esmail is attached as executive producer, “Gaslit” will be produced and showrun by one of his “Mr. Robot” writers, Robbie Pickering. There’s no network or streaming service attached to the series yet, but that’s sure to be figured out soon enough, as many of those platforms will shell out big bucks to distribute a series with this much star power.