HBO Greenlights ‘Lewis and Clark’ Miniseries with Casey Affleck, Produced by Brad Pitt & Tom Hanks
HBO is moving ahead with another miniseries, this one produced by an all-star team of acting talent. Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton join producers Dede Gardner and Gary Goetzman as executive producers on “Lewis and Clark,” HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo announced via press release on Friday.
“In ‘Lewis and Clark,’ we can see American idealism and the breathtaking natural beauty of the continent, as well as the complexities and tragedies of what came to be known as America’s ‘manifest destiny’,” Lombardo said. “We are tremendously excited to bring together this incredible group of talents to tell a seminal American story.”
Casey Affleck is set to star in the series as Meriwether Lewis, with Matthias Schoenaerts — best known for “Rust and Bone, last seen in “The Drop,” and soon to be appearing in “The Loft” — playing his friend William Clark. John Curran (“The Painted Veil”) will direct, and he co-wrote the miniseries with Norton and Michelle Ashford (“The Pacific,” “Masters of Sex”). Based on the book “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen E. Ambrose, “Lewis and Clark” is set to recreate many exciting artistic collaborations.
Ambrose, Hanks and Goetzman all worked together on the groundbreaking HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Plus, Affleck and Pitt last paired up in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” for which Affleck earned an Oscar nomination, and they also acted together in the “Oceans” trilogy. Norton and Pitt, of course, acted together in “Fight Club” while Hanks has served as an executive producer with Goetzman on more than just “Band of Brothers.” The duo have helped bring to life such great HBO miniseries as “John Adams,” “The Pacific” and, most recently, “Olive Kitteridge.” Ashford also worked on “The Pacific,” and Curran directed Norton in “The Painted Veil.”
Production is set to begin this summer on “Lewis and Clark.” Read HBO’s official synopsis of the miniseries below:
“Based on the book ‘Undaunted Courage,’ by Stephen E. Ambrose, ‘Lewis and Clark’ tells the story of America’s first contact with the land and native tribes of the country west of the Mississippi River. The miniseries follows the epic journey of the Corps of Discovery and its captains, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who traverse uncharted territory on a mission to deliver President Jefferson’s message of sovereignty as they search for his fabled all-water route to the Pacific. ‘Lewis and Clark’ focuses not just on their incredible achievements, but also on the physical, spiritual and emotional toll the expedition takes on them.”
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