‘The Hot Zone: Anthrax’: Ian Colletti, Dawn Olivieri & Denyce Lawton To Recur In Nat Geo Series
Ian Colletti (Preacher), Dawn Olivieri (House of Lies) and Denyce Lawton (Tyler Perry’s House of Payne) are set for recurring roles opposite Daniel Dae Kim and Tony Goldwyn in The Hot Zone: Anthrax, the second installment of National Geographic’s scripted anthology series. Filming is underway in Toronto.
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.
More from Deadline
'The Hot Zone: Anthrax': Harry Hamlin To Play Tom Brokaw, Dylan Baker Also Cast In Nat Geo Series
'The Hot Zone: Anthrax': Tony Goldwyn & Daniel Dae Kim To Star In Season 2 Of Nat Geo Series
Colletti will play Agent Chris Moore, a newbie to the bureau with a dry sense of humor. A graduate of Quantico and is eager to learn under a seasoned agent, although a microbiologist wouldn’t have been his top choice as a mentor.
Olivieri portrays Dani Toretti (fka Dani Toscano), goes by “Dani.” Loves it whenever she walks in a door and everyone is expecting a man. She’s among the first agents on the ground at the 2001 Capitol Hill anthrax attack. With a Masters in psychology, she’s an FBI Special Agent who gets pulled onto the Counterterrorism Unit after 9/11. And, as a behaviorist, she’s tough enough to maneuver the boys club in the bureau, but grounded enough that her instincts point her in the right direction.
Lawton is Sheila Willis. Graduated top three out of Texas, and is a pharmaceutical rep who lobbies on Capitol Hill. She has put more into her career than personal life, and has dated FBI Agent Ryker off-and-on. After 9/11, everything feels a little stronger, deeper, and more unsettled, which has her rethinking her priorities.
Cast also includes Harry Hamlin and Dylan Baker.
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.
Colletti is coming off four seasons on AMC’s Preacher. He recently recurred on Showtime’s Billions, and guest starred on Lincoln Rhyme for NBC. On the film side, he has starred in numerous indie projects over the last several years, most recently in Netflix’s Mohawk. Colletti is repped by CESD, Industry Entertainment and the Nord Group.
Olivieri is best known for her work opposite Don Cheadle in House of Lies and David Duchovny in Californication both for Showtime. She recently recurred on CBS’ SEAL Team, and prior to that, played opposite Will Smith in David Ayer’s Bright. Olivieri is repped by Thruline and Talentworks.
Lawton is known for her role as Dana on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. She recently guest-starred on Chicago PD. Lawton is repped by Jacqueline Kim at Innovative Artists.
Kim posted a pic today on Instagram, the first day on-set in Toronto.
Best of Deadline
Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak
Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
