Joshua Jackson is now set to play the lead role in the upcoming Peacock series “Dr. Death.”
Jackson takes over the role from previously announced series lead Jamie Dornan, who had to bow out of the series due to production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater remain attached to the project, which is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name.
Jackson’s most recent TV roles were on the critically-acclaimed Showtime series “The Affair” and the Hulu limited series “Little Fires Everywhere.” He is also well known for his time on the WB series “Dawson’s Creek.” His other TV roles include “When They See Us” and “Fringe.”
He is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, and Hansen Jacobson.
“Dr. Death” is based on the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Jackson), a rising star in the Dallas medical community. Young, charismatic and ostensibly brilliant, Dr. Duntsch was building a flourishing neurosurgery practice when everything suddenly changed. Patients entered his operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries and left permanently maimed or dead. As victims piled up, two fellow physicians, neurosurgeon Robert Henderson (Baldwin) and vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Slater), set out to stop him.
Patrick McManus will executive produce “Dr. Death” under his overall deal with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Taylor Latham will executive produce for Escape Artists along with Hernan Lopez and Marshall Lewy of Wondery.
Maggie Kiley will direct and executive produce the first two episodes. Jennifer Morrison and So Yong Kim will also direct episodes of the series.