With Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have created one of the greatest series of our time. Now they are bringing a historical true crime story to Netflix
The past few years have been crazy for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The Game of Thrones finale was not well received by many fans. Their HBO follow-up series, the historical epic Confederate, has already failed in the planning phase. Their Star Wars trilogy also never saw the light of day.
Benioff and Weiss have now found a new home at Netflix. The streaming service will soon be launching the science fiction series 3 Body Problem, which they played a key role in developing. As the Hollywood Reporter reports, their next Netflix project has also already been confirmed: Death by Lightning.
Netflix today announced the new series ‘Death by Lightning,’ a drama retelling the rise of US President James Garfield and his subsequent assassination by Charles Guiteau.
Michael Shannon will play Garfield, Matthew Macfadyen will play Guiteau. pic.twitter.com/843aJErt54
– Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) February 1, 2024
Death by Lightning: New series from the Game of Thrones creators about the assassination of the 20th President of the USA
Death by Lightning is a true-crime series of historic proportions: it tells the story of James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States of America. The second important character is Charles Guiteau, Garfield’s greatest admirer and ultimately the man who killed him on September 19, 1881.
Michael Shannon takes on the role of the president, Matthew Macfadyen embodies the assassin – two first-class actors. Shannon has shone for years in supporting and leading roles, from Shape of Water to Knives Out and Midnight Special. Macfadyen most recently impressed in the acclaimed HBO series Succession.
The series is based on the novel Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, which was first published in 2011. Benioff and Weiss are producing the film adaptation. Mike Makowsky (Bad Education) holds the creative reins as series creator and showrunner. Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) will take over the production
