Robert De Niro is in the Oval Office thanks to Netflix limited series”Zero day.”
The actor and executive producer stars as a respected former president of the United States who is tasked with uncovering the terrorists who orchestrated a cyber attack. Angela Bassett plays the current president, with Lizzy Caplan as De Niro’s on-screen daughter. Jesse Plemons, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Dan Stevens and Matthew Modine also star. Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, Clark Gregg and McKinley Belcher III guest star.
The official synopsis reads: “‘Zero Day’ is a limited series starring Robert De Niro as respected former US President George Mullen, who, as head of the Zero Day Commission, is charged with finding the perpetrators of a devastating cyber attack that has caused chaos around the country and thousands dead.As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambitions of power brokers in technology, Wall Street and government collide, Mullen’s relentless search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while he risks everything he holds dear.”
The series is written and executive produced by co-creators Eric Newman (“Narcos”) and Noah Oppenheim (“The thing about Pam”, “Jackie”), with “Mad Men” and “The Leftovers” veteran Lesli Linka Glatter executive producing and directing all six episodes. “Zero Day” is also co-created by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael S. Schmidt, who also serves as writer and executive producer. De Niro and Jonathan Glickman are also executive producers. The show was announced year 2023.
De Niro said under 2024 Tribeca Festival Lisbon that his first limited series was starring in three films back to back.
“Doing a limited series is different. It’s a much longer time, five or six months, and it’s a different rhythm, says De Niro. “Making a limited series is like making three feature films in a row.”
He added that he was grateful not to have “six different directors who have different ideas or different ways of working, so they have to be guided into the core of the show”, as in other series, as Glatter was the sole cinematographer. De Niro added that working with just one director “makes it easier.”
“Zero Day” premieres February 20 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.
