J.K. Simmons is celebrating his Oscar win with a surprising return to television. The prolific character actor, who finally got recognition for his performance in Whiplash, is set to star in Starz’s Counterpart.
The espionage thriller series was created by Justin Marks, who just wrote Disney’s Jungle Book, reports Deadline. Morten Tyldum, who was just nominated for an Oscar for The Imitation Game will direct the first two episodes.
MRC is producing with Anonymous Content and Gilbert Films. It is the third MRC/Starz project after Blunt Talk with Patrick Stewart and The One Percent with Hilary Swank.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Simmons has been cased as Harold Silk, a lowly employee at a UN agency who has made several decisions he regrets in life. Suddenly, he discovers that his agency knows how to cross into a different dimension where he learns what his life could have been like.
Simmons’ last regular TV role in front of the camera was TNT’s The Closer from 2005-2012. He also had a recurring part in Law & Order. In February, he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Whiplash and his next films include Terminator Genisys and Kong: Skull Island.
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