Many TV fans know actor Ray McKinnon as Lincoln Potter from Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. Now they will soon see him in a very different role. McKinnon just landed a significant role in a Hulu limited series.
According to Deadline, McKinnon will star opposite Kaitlyn Dever in an eight-episode limited series, Dopesick. The Handmaid’s Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield and Touchstone Television are bringing the project to life. The Hulu exclusive is based on Beth Macy’s bestselling book and features the Sons of Anarchy alum as Jerry Mallum, Betsy’s (Dever) father, a religious and stoic coal miner.
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As Deadline reports, “Dopesick is described as an ambitious, harrowing and compelling look into the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction. It takes viewers from a distressed Virginia mining community to the hallways of the DEA and the opulence of ‘one percenter’ Big Pharma Manhattan. The unsparing yet deeply human portraits of the various affected families and their intersecting stories hold up a mirror to where America is right now, while shining a hopeful light on the heroes battling the worst drug epidemic in American history.”
McKinnon and Dever both have ties to another popular FX series, Justified, despite appearing in different seasons. McKinnon played a hitman on the tracks of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) in the show’s first season. Dever, on the other hand, had a prominent role in Season 2 as Loretta McCready.
Along with McKinnon and Dever, Dopesick features an extensive list of heavy hitters. Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Will Poulter, Rosario Dawson, John Hoogenakker, Philippa Soo and Jake McDorman round out the announced cast. The series will premiere sometime in 2021.
FOX 21 originally optioned Macy’s book in 2018 with the intention of creating Dopesick. The project landed at FX for development after 20th Century FOX TV loaned out writer Danny Strong to FOX 21. The series then moved to Hulu in February.
“The minute we met with Danny Strong about Beth Macy’s bestselling book, we immediately knew it was the kind of groundbreaking series we just had to bring to Hulu,” said Hulu’s SVP of originals Craig Erwich. “Danny’s unflinching and deeply compelling take on America’s opioid crisis will bring to life one of the most important stories impacting our culture. Add to that the cinematic vision of Barry Levinson and the extraordinary talent of Michael Keaton, and we’ve got an undeniable series that perfectly embodies our Hulu Originals brand.”
