Sam Worthington, Paul Bettany Lead Discovery Unabomber Series ‘Manifesto’

We don’t often look to Discovery for hard-hitting prestige drama, but their new Unabomber limited series Manifesto is certainly turning heads. Not only is Paul Bettany set to play the infamous bomber in a Kevin Spacey produced series, but so too has Sam Worthington signed on for a leading role.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the eight-episode Manifesto will feature Avatar alum Worthington as FBI agent Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald, whose “radical approach to intelligence gathering ultimately took Kaczynski down.” Avengers star Bettany, meanwhile, will play Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski.

So reads a synopsis from Deadline:

Manifesto explores how the FBI caught infamous criminal masterminds, with the first season set to focus on FBI agent Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a specialized linguist who challenged old-school ways with a radical approach to intelligence gathering. His unconventional means brought the Unabomber to justice after a near 20-year manhunt when he discovered that the key to unlocking his true identity could be found in the language of “The Manifesto,” a detailed account of some of Kaczynski’s plots.

The series is written and executive produced by Andrew Sodroski under showrunner Greg Yaitanes, while Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Troy Searer executive produce. Also worth noting is that the real Jim Fitzgerald will also serve as consulting producer.

There’s certainly a market for high-profile portrayals of landmark crimes (see: The People v. O.J. Simpson), but does Discovery have the clout to pull off Manifesto?