‘The Hot Zone: Anthrax’: Harry Hamlin To Play Tom Brokaw, Dylan Baker Also Cast In Nat Geo Series

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Harry Hamlin (Mad Men, Shameless) and Dylan Baker (The Good Wife, Hunters) have joined the cast of The Hot Zone: Anthrax, the second installment of National Geographic’s scripted anthology series.

The Hot Zone: Anthrax takes place in 2001, just weeks after 9/11, where another deadly act of terrorism rocked the United States. Letters containing anthrax were sent to unsuspecting victims in Florida, Washington, D.C. and New York. The anonymous assault claimed five lives and caused panic throughout the country. Despite interagency turf wars and many false leads, an unlikely team of scientists, FBI agents and government departments slowly closed in on a shocking prime suspect.

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Hamlin will portray Tom Brokaw, the respected journalist and anchor for NBC News. On camera, Brokaw is the steady voice of reason for a post-9/11 nation. Off camera, he is a protective father figure to those who work for him. Brokaw himself became a part of the anthrax story when a letter addressed to him contained a lethal amount of anthrax, sickening two of his assistants.

Baker will play Ed Copak, a high-ranking FBI lifer. His department is rocked by the recent events of 9/11 and is now charged with finding the anthrax killer. He feels the weight of responsibility for getting justice for a wounded nation.

Hamlin and Baker join previously cast Tony Goldwyn and Daniel Dae Kim who play, respectively, Bruce Ivins, a brilliant microbiologist who becomes embroiled in the hunt to find the 2001 anthrax killer, and Matthew Ryker, an FBI agent with a specialty in microbiology, who, just three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, risks his career to convince his superiors of the unthinkable, that the United States is under attack again.

Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson serve as executive producers and showrunners. Scott Free Production’s Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker and Jordan Sheehan are executive producers. Lynda Obst is an executive producer. Richard Preston is a co-executive producer. The Hot Zone: Anthrax is produced by 20th Television and Scott Free Productions. Principal photography begins this month in Toronto.

Hamlin received an Emmy nomination for Mad Men and recurred on Shameless. His other credits include the Epix series Graves, USA’s Shooter, and NBC’s Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Next up for him is the Unsinkable audio movie event with John Malkovich and Brian Cox.

Baker is known for his starring role in the film Happiness. He recurred as Colin Sweeney on CBS’ The Good Wife, for which he received three Emmy nominations.

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