‘American Rust’ Series Set at Showtime, Jeff Daniels to Star (EXCLUSIVE)
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The planned “American Rust” series has found new life at Showtime, with the premium cabler giving the show a straight-to-series order, Variety has learned exclusively.
In addition, Jeff Daniels has come onboard to star in and executive produce the show, which is based on the Philipp Meyer novel of the same name. Now simply titled “Rust,” the show is described as a family drama that will explore the tattered American dream through the eyes of complicated and compromised chief of police Del Harris (Daniels) in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania. When the woman he truly loves sees her son accused of murder, Harris is forced to decide what he’s willing to do to protect him.
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Dan Futterman will write multiple episodes and executive produce along with Daniels. The pair previously collaborated on the 2018 Hulu miniseries “The Looming Tower,” which received four Emmy nominations last year, including one for best actor in a limited series for Daniels. Michael De Luca will also executive produce along with Elisa Ellis from Platform One Media, which is co-producing the series along with Showtime.
“Jeff Daniels is a bona fide giant on stage and screen, and Dan Futterman is a special writer and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have them together at Showtime,” said Gary Levine, co-president of entertainment for Showtime Networks. “With vibrant characters caught in an unpredictable murder mystery, ‘Rust’ will tell the relevant and touching human story of the corrosion of the American dream.”
USA Network has previously given a straight-to-series order for their own “American Rust” series back in 2017, but it was announced in January of last year that the network was not moving forward with it. That series had a cast contingency attached to the order, with the producers unable to find a big star for the lead role at that time. De Luca, Ellis, and Platform One — which is headed by CEO Katie O’Connell Marsh — are the only producers from that project to remain attached to the Showtime series.
This marks the latest high-profile television project for Daniels in recent years. In addition to his work on “The Looming Tower,” he previously won Emmys for his role in the HBO series “The Newsroom” as well as the Netflix miniseries “Godless.” He has primarily worked in film throughout his distinguished career, starring in projects such as “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” “The Martian,” “Gods and Generals,” and “Terms of Endearment.”
He is repped by ICM and Martino Management.
Futterman was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the screenplay for “Capote” and for co-writing “Foxcatcher.” His other TV writing credits besides “The Looming Tower” include “Gracepoint” and “In Treatment.” Futterman is also an accomplished actor, having appeared in films like “The Birdcage” and in shows such as “Judging Amy” and “Will & Grace.”
He is repped by UTA and Principal Entertainment LA.
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