He’s not the biggest fan of superhero movies, but that’s okay because Ethan Hawke is so good at (and so unappreciated for) what he does. From critical darlings like First Reformed to goofy dramedies like Stockholm, the 48-year-old actor is experiencing a particularly productive point in his career. So of course the film actor is going to make the move to television with Showtime’s upcoming limited series Good Lord Bird, in which Hawke will play the iconic 19th-century abolitionist John Brown.
According to Variety, executive producer Mark Richard (Hell on Wheels) and director Anthony Hemingway’s (American Crime Story) new show is adapted from James McBride’s novel The Good Lord Bird:
[Good Lord Bird] is told from the point of view of Onion, an enslaved teenager who becomes a member in Brown’s motley family during the time of Bleeding Kansas, eventually participating in the famous 1859 raid on the Army depot at Harpers Ferry. Brown’s raid failed to initiate the slave revolt he intended, but was the instigating event that started the Civil War.
Hawke said that McBride’s book was a “favorite, adding that “bringing this story to the screen has been a passion project of mine, and I am incredibly fortunate to have partners who are equally enthusiastic and are making it a reality.”
Aside from Hawke’s casting and the news concerning who’s producing and directing the limited Showtime series, little else is known about Good Lord Bird. So until then, here’s a video from Hawke’s Instagram of him and his two dogs, Georgia and Jett, listening to some tunes. Why? Because dogs.
(Via Variety)
