‘Death by Lightning’ First Look Images revealed
Netflix debuted its first look Friday for “Death by Lightning,” a new drama about the true story of the 20th president of the United States, James Garfield, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau — the man who would come to kill him. The limited series, which is based on the Candice Millard novel “Destiny of the Republic,” will premiere on the streamer later this year and stars Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon.
The 3 Body Problem duo is joining forces with creator Mike Makowsky (Bad Education), director Matt Ross (28 Hotel Rooms, Captain Fantastic, Gaslit), and executive producer Bernie Caulfield (3 Body Problem, Game of Thrones, Big Love)
“It’s been the thrill of a lifetime seeing this crack team come together to bring James Garfield and his cohort back from the annals of long-forgotten history,” Makowsky said. “Six years into working on this project, it’s a story I still can’t believe is true — in all its wild, tragic glory — and it somehow feels even more relevant to our world today than ever before. I can’t wait for us to be able to finally share it.”
While the setting of the series might be nearly 150 years in the past, Death by Lightning feels incredibly relevant, says Makowsky. “The theme of corruption in politics and our bureaucracy feels particularly evergreen these days,” he tells Tudum. “The idea of civil service reform and waging a battle to clean up the grift in our government — this is something that Garfield very much stood on the front lines of in his time. In 1881, it feels like America is sort of standing at a crossroads between the past and what the future of this country is going to look like, and it’s up to [people like Garfield] to really define how America, 100 years after its inception, is going to look, and what kind of society they’re going to be.”
Check out the first look images below:
