Will Forte is set to star in Netflix‘s upcoming series BODKIN, the first drama series from Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.
According to the logline, the series is “a darkly comedic thriller about a motley crew of podcasters who set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in an idyllic, coastal Irish town. But once they start pulling at threads, they discover a story much bigger and weirder than they could have ever imagined. As our heroes try to discern fact from fiction — about the case, about their colleagues, and, most painfully, themselves — the series challenges our perception of truth and exposes the stories we tell ourselves to justify our beliefs or validate our fears.”
Forte will portray protagonist Gilbert Power in the series, an American podcaster with Irish roots whose charm and innocence belies something far murkier beneath his sunny surface. The cast is rounded out by Siobhan Cullen, Robyn Cara, David Wilmot, and Chris Walley. BODKIN is set to begin production on location in Ireland next week.
Among BODKIN’s creative team are creator Jez Scharf, co-showrunner Alex Metcalf, and lead director Nash Edgerton, who will work with the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and fellow producers wiip. “We are ecstatic to partner with wiip for this wickedly wry thriller which questions truth, narrative, and the very purpose of each,” said Tonia Davis, Higher Ground’s head of film and television, in a statement. “This entire creative team — Jez, Alex, Nash, and the phenomenal cast led by Will Forte and Siobhan Cullen — will bring to life something very special and we can’t wait to share it with audiences around the world.”
Most recently, Forte starred in the Foo Fighters’ horror comedy Studio 666, which premiered on the big screen just one month before drummer Taylor Hawkins’ tragic and untimely death while the band toured Colombia. Before that, Forte anchored Peacock’s MacGruber.