Kicking off the final day of New York Comic Con 2021, the stars and creators of National Geographic’s The Hot Zone: Anthrax discussed the upcoming limited series in their own panel.
- The panel included:
- Tony Goldwyn – Dr. Bruce Ivins
- Daniel Dae Kim – FBI Special Agent Matthew Ryker
- Kelly Souders – Showrunner and executive producer
- Brian Peterson – Showrunner and executive producer
- Kim was asked about the research he did to play this role:
- “I reached out to some people in the FBI. I had some really fascinating, interesting conversations not just with FBI agents but with Asian American FBI agents. And I thought that’s an element to this character that maybe wasn’t really thought of when Ryker was first envisioned. And so, because I was playing him, I wanted to be true to the people’s experiences.”
- Souders shared that the character of Ryker was completely fictional and created for the series.
- Souders also touched on the craziness of the investigation on which the series is based:
- “One of the things that’s interesting about this investigation, which you really have to watch to believe, is that it took so much out-of-the-box thinking to solve it. And so you really kind of get to get in and see how really great FBI agents, and agents of many different areas, have to step outside their comfort zone and really do some extremes. I mean, what they did to crack this case is so bizarre, I couldn’t believe it.”
- The Hot Zone: Anthrax will premiere on National Geographic in a three-night event starting on Sunday, November 28. Episodes will be available to stream on Hulu.
About The Hot Zone: Anthrax:
- In a timely limited series that depicts the plight and eventual triumph over a national threat, 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.
- Harry Hamlin will portray Tom Brokaw, the respected journalist and anchor for NBC News. On camera, Brokaw is the steady voice of reason for a post-9/11 nation. Off camera, he is a protective father figure to those who work for him. Hamlin, star of cult classic Clash of the Titans, ground-breaking Making Love and the former “Sexiest Man Alive” from L.A. Law, received an Emmy nomination for Mad Men and recurred on Shameless. His other credits include the Golden Globe-nominated Epix series Graves with Nick Nolte, USA’s Shooter with Ryan Phillippe, and Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders with Edie Falco. Next on the horizon is the Unsinkable audio movie event with John Malkovich and Brian Cox.
- Dylan Baker joins as Ed Copak, a high-ranking FBI lifer. His department is rocked by the recent events of 9/11 and is now charged with finding the anthrax killer. He feels the weight of responsibility for getting justice for a wounded nation. Baker is best known for his starring role as Bill Maplewood in the critically acclaimed film Happiness, directed by Todd Solondz. Other film work includes Selma, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Spider-man 2 and 3, Planes, Trains & Automobiles and Thirteen Days. He appeared as Colin Sweeney on The Good Wife, for which he received three Emmy Award nominations.
- Tony Goldwyn joins the series as Bruce Ivins, a brilliant microbiologist who becomes embroiled in the hunt to find the 2001 anthrax killer. While he works closely with the FBI to uncover who is behind the deadly anthrax letters, his growing instability and paranoia give way to even deeper and unnerving discoveries. Kim will portray Matthew Ryker, an FBI agent with a specialty in microbiology, who, just three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, risks his career to convince his superiors of the unthinkable, that the United States is under attack again.
- The six-hour scientific thriller follows last year’s The Hot Zone, which starred Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies and was National Geographic’s most-watched scripted series of all time.