Community star Gillian Jacobs, Gotham alum Cory Michael Smith, and Ant-Man's Corey Stoll have been cast as the leads in Transatlantic, a new Netflix drama from Daniel Hendler and Anna Winger.
The limited series will see the trio joined by Call My Agent star Grégory Montel, Lucas Englander (Bridge of Spies) Ralph Amoussou (Marianne), Deleila Piasko (Boys Are Us) onscreen. Amit Rahhav, who previously worked with Winger on her acclaimed show Unorthodox, rounds out the international cast.
Inspired by Julie Orringer’s 2019 novel The Flight Portfolio, Transatlantic will loosely follow the true story of the Emergency Rescue Committee volunteers, who risked their lives to help more than 2000 refugees escape German-occupied France in the early 1940s.
They were particularly known for assisting several artists and artists who were on the Nazis’ most-wanted list at the time.
Upon its release, the book was described as "a tale of forbidden love, high-stakes adventure, and unimaginable courage." It seems safe to assume that the series, which will be shot in English, German and French, will prove much the same.
According to Deadline, Smith is lined up to play a character based on real-life journalist Varian Fry, while Jacobs' role was inspired by heiress Mary Jayne Gold, whose trust fund financed Fry’s humanitarian operation.
Elsewhere, Stoll will portray Patterson, the American Consul in Marseille who sees the refugees as an existential threat to his country's values. All of the other roles have yet to be announced.
Stéphanie Chuat are Véronique Reymond are on board to direct, while Winger produces alongside Camille McCurry.
Transatlantic – which has already begun filming in Marseille – marks the first collaboration between Winger and Netflix since she signed a multi-year deal with the streaming platform in 2021. Under her Airlift productions, she is set to develop several international drama series for the service over the next few years.
Transatlantic will be released sometime in 2023. While we wait, check out our list of the best TV shows of all time.
