Toni Collette Among Three Cast in Netflix Rape Drama ‘Unbelievable,’ Lisa Cholodenko to Direct
By Joe Otterson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The upcoming Netflix series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” has found its leads.
Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever have been cast in “Unbelievable,” which examines the true story of Marie (Dever), a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the two female detectives who followed a twisting path to arrive at the truth. Collette and Wever will play the detectives, whose lives become intertwined in their mutual pursuit of a possible serial rapist.
Collette is also set to star in the TV series “Wanderlust,” which is a co-production between BBC One and . Her other regular TV roles include “United States of Tara” and “Hostages.” Collette is primarily known for her film work, with the Australian actress earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in “The Sixth Sense” and has also starred in popular films like “Little Miss Sunshine,” “About a Boy,” and “Hereditary.” She is repped by CAA in the United States, United Management in Australia, Finley Management, and Jackoway Tyerman.
Wever’s past TV roles include “Nurse Jackie,” for which she won an Emmy, the Netflix Western drama “Godless” and “The Walking Dead.” She also previously appeared on shows like “New Girl” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” She is repped by Innovative Artists and Viking Entertainment.
Dever is perhaps best known for playing Eve on the ABC (now Fox) comedy “Last Man Standing.” She has also appeared in shows like “Justified,” “Private Practice,” and “The Mentalist.” On the film side, she recently had a role in Katheryn Bigelow’s “Detroit” and will star in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut “Booksmart.” She is repped by UTA.
In addition, Lisa Cholodenko is set to direct and executive produce the first three episodes of “Unbelievable.” Her previous directing credits include “Olive Kitteridge,” “The L Word,” “Six Feet Under,” and the film “The Kids Are All Right.” She is repped by ICM.
The original Marshall Project and ProPublica article was written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong. The series is also based on the “This American Life” radio episode “Anatomy of Doubt.”
The eight-episode series is written by Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, and Susannah Grant. Grant will also serve as showrunner, with all three also executive producing. The other executive producers on the series are Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Cholodenko, and Katie Couric. CBS Television Studios will produce along with Timberman/Beverly.
