Game of Thrones Creators' Next Big Thing: Death by Lightning Wraps Filming!
Death by Lightning: Game of Thrones Creators Tackle a Wild True Story!
Get ready for some historical drama, folks! Death by Lightning, the new Netflix series from Mike Makowsky (based on Candace Millard’s book Destiny of the Republic), just finished filming! And this isn’t just any historical drama – this baby’s executive produced by the legendary duo behind Game of Thrones and 3 Body Problem: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss! This is pretty crazy!
The story itself? It’s bonkers. It follows the assassination of President James A. Garfield (played by Michael Shannon) at the hands of Charles J. Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen). Think political intrigue, unexpected twists and the craziness behind the scenes that surrounded the presidency of this period, including its shocking ending which will no doubt generate intrigue and shock even decades later. It sounds utterly bananas, a story the creators behind some of the best known tv dramas, just had to make. It’s going to be a seriously gripping ride. So get your popcorn ready, folks!
A Star-Studded Cast Joins the Ensemble
Netflix also just announced some massive additions to an already incredible cast! Eight new stars joined the production during filming, expanding its ensemble: Vondie Curtis Hall (as Frederick Douglass), Kyle Soller (Robert Todd Lincoln), Barry Shabaka Henley (Senator Blanche Bruce), Archie Fisher (Joe Brown), Željko Ivanek (Dr. Bliss), Ben Miles (George Scoville), Shaun Parkes (Dr. Charles Purvis), and Alistair Petrie (John Sherman). That’s a powerhouse cast!
These incredible actors join that already-amazing line-up, showcasing that additional star power to drive viewership, creating a huge demand even from this initial news drop, demonstrating how large this planned project actually is and that alone is a key driver toward establishing anticipation for this planned series! These seasoned pros already part of the cast included Nick Offerman (Chester A. Arthur), Betty Gilpin (Lucretia Garfield), Bradley Whitford (James Blaine), Shea Whigham (Roscoe Conkling), Paula Malcomson (Franny Scoville), and Tuppence Middleton (Kate Chase Sprague)! Holy moly!
Here’s what Makowsky had to say about the filming wrap: “It’s been the thrill of a lifetime seeing this crack team come together to bring James Garfield and his cohort back from the annals of long-forgotten history. Six years into working on this project, it’s a story I still can’t believe is true — in all its wild, tragic glory — and it somehow feels even more relevant to our world today than ever before. I can’t wait for us to be able to finally share it.”
What This Means: A Potential 2025 Premiere?
Filming ended fast. It began July 1st and finished just recently, that incredibly speedy turnaround suggests no production delays; indicating that this amazing project is likely far more advanced and much closer to completion than people initially might have suspected. This really helps that production planning that ultimately shows an amazingly competent crew! This probably means Death by Lightning is eyeing a 2025 release! It likely requires significantly less post-production VFX work (unlike 3 Body Problem, for example) which typically impacts those deadlines. This additional factor really highlights a crucial difference for determining the time it takes to move this title closer to actual release. That makes many people seriously consider exactly when this is going to come to a streaming service near them!
Will it be as big as Game of Thrones or 3 Body Problem? That remains totally unclear; and those same kinds of success are really highly dependent upon audience response; some key aspects surrounding this might affect how people experience the storyline itself and that, alone makes the uncertainty very interesting! Its realism compared to the previous series (fantasy/sci-fi) could greatly affect viewers who mostly watch fantasy-themed shows; its new-creator’s prior works; Makowsky’s previous show, that HBO’s crime drama Bad Education (2019) may only slightly give minor insights about his production value. But it looks pretty promising considering all those famous actors participating in the planned show! We’ll probably know far sooner than many would otherwise hope! The time required for those productions has changed a lot since Game of Thrones’ first episodes and considering those improvements is crucial to estimating its release timeline.
Our Take: A Recipe for Success?
Even if we remain unsure regarding how it compares to those earlier works which were very, very successful productions in many aspects, this looks good. The star-studded cast has massive potential to draw many, many new viewers and maintain an existing viewer base and these things greatly affect its continued development in the coming months! All the main characters appear in many popular shows and these will be familiar faces that already have extremely large existing fanbases.
This impressive talent and this immense star power already in that core cast, could make Death by Lightning an absolute hit! And all the exciting talent involved in its production are also part of other popular shows and that really increases that appeal greatly and really pushes forward this title's ability to attract more attention, as it leverages this massive cross-promotion that might’ve otherwise not happened! This project and how these actors' existing talents and fame have been utilized showcases clever production management and strategy planning and deserves accolades for how smart their decisions have been in securing those participants within its initial line up! So, keep your eyes peeled!
Conclusion: The Anticipation Builds for Death by Lightning
That news about Death by Lightning wrapping is huge news. It creates amazing possibilities, especially regarding a potential 2025 release; this greatly reduces the amount of waiting necessary for the actual streaming service drop date, thus potentially significantly increasing the demand and anticipation amongst the general public. Even that enormous collection of star power makes this production something special – showcasing intelligent planning and those brilliant production choices which are rare and hard to get correctly! This whole undertaking sounds intensely engaging—we cannot wait!
