Academy-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, The Sessions, “Mad About You”), Academy- and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, Jaws, Madoff, Mr. Holland’s Opus) and Stephen Moyer (“The Bastard Executioner,” “True Blood”) have joined the Shots Fired cast. Shots Fired is a dramatic new event series from Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights, The Secret Life of Bees, Love & Basketball) and Reggie Rock Bythewood (Beyond the Lights, Notorious), that examines the dangerous aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small town in North Carolina.
Hunt will portray Patricia Eamons, the fictional governor of North Carolina. Dreyfuss will play Arlen Cox, a real estate mogul and owner of a privatized prison who is intricately involved in the shootings. Moyer will play Officer Breeland, a seasoned veteran in the town’s Sheriff’s Department, who gets caught in the middle of the investigation.
Shots Fired also will star Sanaa Lathan (The Perfect Guy) as an expert investigator who digs into the cases, alongside Stephan James (Race, Selma) as a special prosecutor sent to the town by the Department of Justice. The pair must navigate the media attention, public debate and the social unrest that comes with such volatile cases, as they seek justice before the divided town erupts. The two are drawn into further political intrigue when they find their investigation manipulated by the politically fierce Governor Eamons (Hunt), who prides herself on not being a typical politician. As the first female and Democrat governor in the state, she is in a tough re-election fight, and the national media attention on the recent shootings in her state is making it tougher.
The event series is scheduled to debut in 2016. Hunt has signed on for the first season of the event series.
Also featured in the event series are Aisha Hinds (“Under the Dome,” “NCIS: Los Angeles”) and Tristan Wilds (“90210,” “The Wire”). Hinds will play Pastor Janae James, an activist who is seduced by the spotlight. Wilds will play Officer Belk, who finds himself under investigation for a shooting, and tries to protect his family from the spotlight.
Shots Fired is produced by Undisputed Cinema and Imagine Television, in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series is co-written by Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood. The project is executive-produced by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo. Gina Prince-Bythewood will direct.
