casting

Daveed Diggs Will Play Frederick Douglass in Ethan Hawke Miniseries Good Lord Bird

Photo: Araya Diaz/Getty Images

On Friday, not long after San Diego Comic-Con audiences got their first glimpse of Daveed Diggs as king of the shoes in TBS’ Snowpiercer trailer, Showtime announced that Diggs will play abolitionist Frederick Douglass in their upcoming limited series, Good Lord Bird. Diggs will appear alongside Ethan Hawke, who is also co-writing and executive producing the series. The show is based on James McBride’s novel about John Brown’s 1859 abolitionist revolt and raid on Harper’s Ferry and centers on a young, enslaved teenager named Onion who joins up with Brown’s forces (Joshua Johnson-Lionel). During the same TCA press-tour presentation, Showtime also announced that Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49) will play the effort’s nemesis, Jeb Stuart. The show will be produced by Blumhouse’s television division, which also produced Sharp Objects and The Jinx. With this news comes the knowledge that Daveed Diggs is potentially the first person in history to play both Frederick Douglass and Thomas Jefferson … and Tracee Ellis Ross’s brother. Practical, tactical brilliance indeed!

Daveed Diggs to Play Frederick Douglass on Showtime