Following the tremendous success of last year’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, the FX network is rolling out Katrina: American Crime Story next year, and has found a prominent lead actor to play one of the most important roles in the dramatization of this true-life story.
Frequency and The Right Stuff actor Dennis Quaid will portray former President George W. Bush in the upcoming miniseries, which chronicles the lead-up and aftermath to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the deadliest and costliest hurricane in American history. The extreme effects of the hurricane on the lives of people living in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, and the root causes of the massive amount of damage from the storm earned Bush widespread — and harsh — criticism during his tenure as president.
Quaid joins a cast that already includes Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Election) as Michael D. Brown, the director of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right, Being Julia) as Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco.
The American Crime Story series was developed by screenwriting partners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Problem Child, Big Eyes) and is executive produced by the pair along with American Horror Story creators Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, The Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson. Much like American Horror Story, the series tackles a new story each season unrelated to the one from the previous season, with American Crime Story focusing on true events that captured the nation’s attention.
Last year’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story earned 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and won nine, including the award for the year’s best limited series. The People v. O.J. Simpson also won two Golden Globe Awards, including the prestigious award for the year’s best limited series or made-for-television movie, and was chosen by the American Film Institute’s television program of the year. The 10-episode series was also the network’s most-watched series, and one of the year’s most critically acclaimed television programs.
Katrina: American Crime Story is expected to premiere in 2018.
