Netflix has added Zero Day, which sees Hollywood legend Robert De Niro in his first major role in a TV series.
The 81-year-old, whose hit movies include The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull and Goodfellas, leads an all-star cast, playing George Mullen, a former US President who’s called out of retirement after a monstrous cyberattack. The attack has killed thousands and brought America to the brink of national disaster.
With chaos and conspiracy theories exploding, current US President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett) assigns George to oversee the Zero Day Commission, tasked with investigating the global crisis. But with George secretly battling his own demons, is he the right man for the job? Is a tyrant or a hero?
It promises to be one of the biggest thrillers of the year and when we spoke to De Niro with other press outlets he talked about the challenges facing George. “Absolute power can be dangerous. George is accused of crossing the line, but it’s a desperate situation. You can see his dilemma and what he’s going through,” says De Niro.
There’s also a question mark throughout the series over whether George is fit to lead. De Niro explains: “The mystery part of the series is what George is going through mentally and personally, and what that means. It’s a complicated situation. The twists and turns all feel very believable.”
Explaining how Zero Day came about, De Niro reveals: “I was talking to my agent about doing something in New York, so I could stay at home! I asked him if we could find something, maybe a limited series, and he introduced me to [Narcos show runner] Eric Newman. Eric started sending me episode scripts every few weeks and that was it — I was in.”
Zero Day is bang on trend
The makers tease: “How do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside of our control?” And this part of the story especially interests me — how can you know what’s true and what’s not when the world seems so split?
Starring alongside Robert De Niro are Joan Allen (The Bourne Ultimatum, Room), Connie Britton (The White Lotus, Dear Edward), Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction, Fleishman Is in Trouble) and Jesse Plemons (Love & Death, The Power of the Dog).
Zero Day looks a streaming must
If you’re a fan of Robert De Niro it’s simply a must-watch. And if you love conspiracy thrillers then even better. Netflix’s original political thriller House of Cards, which debuted in 2013, helped put the streamer on the map and Zero Day looks like it could be just as good if not better.
Zero Day is on Netflix globally now.