‘The Spook Who Sat By The Door’: Lucas Till, Nafessa Williams, Nathan Darrow & Tom Irwin Join Cast Of FX Pilot Executive Produced By Lee Daniels

Lucas Till (MacGyver), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning), Nathan Darrow (Preacher) and Tom Irwin (The Morning Show) have joined the cast of Lee Daniels’ FX pilot The Spook Who Sat by the Door.

They join previously announced cast members Y’lan Noel and Christina Jackson in the TV adaptation of Sam Greenlee’s spy novel. Production is underway.

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The potential series will tell the fictional story of Dan Freeman (Noel), a patriot and Vietnam vet, who is recruited as the only Black operative in the CIA as part of an affirmative-action program in the late 1960s. After a very competitive selection process he trains in high-level combat and espionage. However, following this arduous training, this model recruit is rewarded with a post in the reprographics (aka photocopying) department, “left by the door” as a token of the CIA’s “racial equality.”

Till is set for the role of CIA agent Graham Renfroe, with Williams playing high-class working girl Etta Henry. Darrow has been cast as CIA Assistant Director Alfred Ames, with Irwin portraying political operative and CIA Director Jack Turner.

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As previously announced, Jackson stars as Joy Freeman, Dan’s wife and an up-and-coming attorney committed to making a difference in her community.

Till played the title role on CBS’s MacGyver, which recently came to the end of its fifth and final season. He can also be seen starring in the lead role of the independent feature Son of the South for Spike Lee and Oscar nominee Barry Brown in his directorial debut. Till also appeared in a key role playing the mutant Havock for Bryan Singer and Matthew Vaughn in the most recent X-Men trilogy. The actor is represented by APA, Tom Sullivan and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer.

Williams recently wrapped the fourth and final season of the CW’s DC series, Black Lightning, which was groundbreaking for both the network and the studio as her character Thunder was the first Black lesbian superhero to appear on television. Williams was recently seen in the Deon Taylor film Black & Blue alongside Naomie Harris, Frank Grillo and Tyrese Gibson for Screen Gems. Before that, she had a season-long arc on the CBS series Code Black and recurred on Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival. Williams is repped by ICM and Link Entertainment.

Best known for portraying Frank Underwood’s bodyguard Meechum in Netflix’s House of Cards, Darrow can be seen on Showtime’s Billions and as Mr. Freeze in Fox’s Gotham. He also recently appeared as Andrew Madoff in HBO film The Wizard of Lies, opposite Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, and recurred on AMC’s Preacher and Sundance’s Rectify. Darrow is represented by Suskin Management and HCKR.

Irwin just wrapped Season 2 of Apple TV’s acclaimed series The Morning Show opposite Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. The actor was also recently seen opposite Felicity Jones in Focus Features’ On the Basis of Sex, starring in Lifetime’s dramedy Devious Maids and opposite Holly Hunter in Saving Grace. The actor is also remembered for playing Claire Danes’ father in the 1990s series My So-Called Life. He is repped by Framework Entertainment and Buchwald.

Executive producers on The Spook Who Sat by the Door include Daniels, Marc Velez, Leigh Dana Jackson and Gerard McMurray. Jackson will serve as showrunner. He wrote the pilot, which is being directed by McMurray. The pilot is being produced by 20th Television and was optioned through Lee Daniels’ Inclusion Fund.

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