John Leguizamo Joins Taron Egerton in Apple Drama Series ‘Firebug,’ Kari Skogland to Direct
John Leguizamo has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “Firebug,” Variety has learned. In addition, Kari Skogland has boarded the series as director and executive producer.
Leguizamo joins previously announced cast members Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in the series. It was originally greenlit in December 2022.
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The series is loosely based on true events and also draws from events documented in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast. The official logline states that the show “will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.”
Leguizamo with play Esposito, described as “a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.”
Leguizamo is a highly-versatile performer with a career spanning four decades. He is known for his roles in films like “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), “Romeo + Juliet,” “Summer of Sam,” “Moulin Rouge,” “The Pest,” the “Ice Age” franchise, and “The Menu,” among many others. His TV credits include “When They See Us,” “The Power,” “Waco,” “Bloodline,” and the MSNBC travel series “Leguizamo Does America.” He received Emmy nods for both “When They See Us” and “Waco.” He has also performed multiple one man shows on Broadway, including “Freak,” “Sexaholix,” and “Latin History for Morons,” earning himself multiple Tony Award nominations.
He is repped by Mosaic, UTA, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Skogland won a BAFTA Award for her work on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” while also earning an Emmy nomination for directing on the series in 2018. Her recent directing credits include “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” for Disney+/Marvel Studios, “The Loudest Voice” for Showtime, “The Walking Dead” for AMC, and “The Americans” for FX. In addition, she serves as the CEO of the independent production company Mad Rabbit.
Skogland is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, and Hansen Jacobson.
Dennis Lehane serves as writer and executive producer on “Firebug.” Egerton executive produces in addition to starring. Richard Plepler also executive produces via Eden Productions along with Skogland, Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment. Kary Antholis, host of the “Firebug” podcast, executive produces for Crime Story Media LLC, with Marc Smerling executive producing for Tru Podcasting Corp.
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