Hulu’s upcoming series Under the Bridge has added Archie Panjabi in a lead role, as well as Vritika Gupta, Javon “Wanna” Walton and Aiyana Goodfellow, according to Deadline.
- Panjabi will play Suman Virk, a devout Jehovah’s Witness and a woman who is desperately trying to bring her daughter to heel after a tumultuous year of rebellion. Suman’s arc in the series will explore the Virks’ lives both before and after Reena’s death, and Suman’s near-impossible act of heroism breaks a cycle of trauma for the future — and ultimately inspires radical empathy against all odds.
- Panjabi earned an Emmy for her supporting role in CBS’ The Good Wife and recently filmed Apple TV+’s limited series Kingdom. She is also known for her role in the TNT series Snowpiercer.
- Gupta will play Reena Virk, the daughter of Suman, a self-conscious, uneasy yet bold loner searching for a group of friends she can call her own. The series will explore Reena’s life before her murder, as she seeks to escape her strict Jehovah’s Witness household for the far more exciting world of the Seven Oaks Youth Home — where there are no parents, few rules, and she can live with her friends. These “‘friends,” however, are the CMC — the gang girls from the other side of town. Reena is determined to prove that she’s “hardcore,” but in her quest to fit in, she makes a choice that has disastrous consequences.
- Gupta has appeared in several shorts, including American Halloween and Lies.
- Walton plays Warren. Unlike his namesake, LA gangsta’ rapper Warren G, Warren is a soft-spoken and baby-faced kid who is considered a “role model” by his peers and teachers. Still, he runs with the “Crips”, and harbors a deep-buried anger over his parents abandoning him. Warren seems like a lost puppy who desperately needs love, but his overt gentleness might be masking something darker.
- Walton has appeared in HBO’s Euphoria as well as Netflix’s Umbrella Academy.
- Goodfellow will play Dusty, a member of the CMC (Crip Mafia Cartel) and has a genuine and close friendship with Reena before her death. Dusty is often the third wheel to Josephine and Kelly’s friendship, having to constantly earn her place with them. Dusty acts tough and says she’s loyal to her crew, but when things go too far, she’s haunted by the guilt of what she’s done, and ultimately questions whether she must be the one to step up and do the right thing — even if it means turning on her friends.
- Goodfellow’s credits include Hulu’s The Great, BBC’s Small Axe and Apple’s Invasion.
More on Under the Bridge:
- Rebecca Godfrey’s book tells the true story of a fourteen-year-old who went to join friends at a party and never returned home. Seven teenage girls and a boy were accused of the savage murder.
- From ABC Signature, the limited series will be executive produced by Samir Mehta (Tell Me Lies) and Liz Tigelaar (Tiny Beautiful Things), who will also serve as showrunners.
- Other executive producers are Quinn Shephard, Stacey Silverman and Geeta Patel, who will also direct.
- Tigelaar and her banner Best Day Ever are currently under an overall deal at ABC Signature.
- Riley Keough (The Terminal List) is set to star in and executive produce the series.
- Keough will play the late Godfrey in the adaptation. In the book, Godfrey takes readers into the hidden world of the accused, revealing startling truths about the unlikely killer.