A new show by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss has been revealed, along with its first cast members. Game of Thrones ran for eight critically-acclaimed seasons on HBO, finishing its last in 2019. Since then, the show has been granted a spinoff in House of the Dragon, which is getting a second season this year.
As shared by The Hollywood Reporter, Benioff and Weiss’s next show has been revealed. The Game of Thrones creators will executive produce the Netflix show Death by Lightning alongside co-producer Bernie Caulfield. The show will star Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon. In addition to the announcement, Death by Lightning received an official synopsis, which can be found below:
Death by Lightning is a drama series that brings to life the epic and stranger-than-fiction true story of James Garfield, reluctant 20th president of the United States, and his greatest admirer Charles Guiteau — the man who would come to kill him.
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What To Expect From Death By Lightning
Death by Lightning is based on the Candice Millard book Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President. The narrative nonfiction book was released in 2012 to critical acclaim and became a New York Times bestseller. For the Death by Lightning TV adaptation, Benioff, Weiss, and Caulfield will produce the show, and Bad Education’s Mike Makowsky will be the creator and showrunner.
With the casting of Shannon and Macfadyen, Death by Lightning has already set itself up for success. Madfadyen is coming off an acclaimed run on Succession, for which he won two Emmys for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Shannon is highly-decorated himself, having secured two Oscar nominations and an Emmy nomination in 2023 for his role in George & Tammy.
These stellar actors will join forces with the talented TV producers for Death by Lightning, likely setting the show up for success. Adapting Destiny of the Republic is an interesting choice for Benioff and Weiss, whose recent projects, Game of Thrones and the high-concept Netflix sci-fi show 3 Body Problem, skew more towards genre fare. With such a strong team behind it, hopefully this genre divergence will be a successful one as Death by Lightning continues its development.
