Danielle Deadwyler has been cast in the lead role of the J.J. Abrams HBO series “Demimonde,” Variety has learned.
The show was first reported to be in development back in 2018, though few details were available at the time. Now, it is known that the series focuses on Olive Reed (Deadwyler), a woman who is torn away from her husband and daughter in a brutal scientific accident. She is forced to unravel a conspiracy to reunite with her family, now lost to a dark, distant other world.
This is not the first time Deadwyler has been in an HBO or HBO Max series. She most recently appeared in HBO Max’s “Station Eleven” and also had a role in the hit HBO limited series “Watchmen.” Her other TV roles include “Atlanta,” “P-Valley,” and “The Haves and the Have Nots.” On the film side, Deadwyler turned in a standout performance in the Netflix film “The Harder They Fall,” starring alongside Jonathan Majors, Regina King, and Idris Elba among others. She has previously been in features such as “The Devil to Pay” and will be seen in the upcoming feature “Till” in the role of Mamie Till.
She is repped by Paradigm, Play Management, Ziffren Brittenham, and Shelter PR.
“Demimonde” is currently in early pre-production at HBO. Abrams is writing and directing the series and will executive produce via Bad Robot Productions. Kira Snyder, Rand Ravich, and Far Shariat serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Ben Stephenson of Bad Robot executive produces, with Rachel Rusch Rich, also of Bad Robot, co-executive producing. The show is produced by Bad Robot in association with Warner Bros. Television and HBO. Bad Robot is currently under an overall deal at Warner Bros.
“Demimonde” marks Abrams’ first TV writing credit since he created the Fox series “Fringe” back in 2008. He is also known in television for his work on “Lost,” “Alias,” and “Felicity” among several other titles. He most recently worked on the screenplays for the films “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” and “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,” both of which he also directed.