‘Gaslit’ Picked Up by Starz, Will Star Sean Penn and Julia Roberts

Starz might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about the best that television has to offer, but they’ve made a big pickup with their acquisition of Gaslit, from the team behind Mr. Robot, with some major stars attached to the project. 

Based on the award-winning Slate podcast Slow Burn, the series will take a unique spin on telling the Watergate scandal, focusing on the people we don’t often hear about who had parts to play in one of the most infamous moments in American history. Rather than telling the stories of people like Richard Nixon, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein, the series is centered on Nixon’s subordinates, the people aiding them in their crimes, and those on the inside who made efforts to stop them. 

While previously announced members of the cast Joel Edgerton and Armie Hammer are no longer attached to the project, its two biggest names remain on board, those being Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Sean Penn. Joel’s brother Nash Edgerton was once attached to direct and executive producer, but he has departed and been replaced by Captain Fantastic director Matt Ross. 

Roberts will be playing Martha Mitchell, the wife of Attorney General John Mitchell, who was one of the first to spread the news on Nixon’s involvement with Watergate. Penn will be playing her husband, one of Nixon’s most trusted advisors at the time. 

Mr. Robot’s Robbie Pickering is the creator and showrunner of the series, with that series’ creator Sam Esmail on board to executive produce. This reunites Roberts and Esmail, having previously worked together on the acclaimed Amazon series Homecoming.