The cast of HBO’s Confirmation is starting to come together after the network confirmed Wendell Pierce will take on the role of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Shortly after confirming Scandal’s Kerry Washington for the role of Anita Hill, The Hollywood Reporter learned that the Treme and The Odd Couple star will be joining her in the main cast.
It means Pierce will have to prepare for what is expected to be a rather emotional role as the film will focus specifically on the controversial 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearings.
Anita Hill testified at these hearings, bringing forth shocking claims of sexual harassment.
Washington is also expected to executive produce the film.
There have been a few social media disputes about whether or not Pierce looks the part but the same concerns seem to spark with nearly every actor who is cast to take on the role of another real person.
The good news is, the differences in Pierce and Thomas’s appearance are not so great that it will garner the type of widespread backlash that Lifetime’s Aaliyah biopic garnered with its casting choices for Missy Elliott and Timbaland.
What’s really important, of course, is a stellar performance and Pierce has demonstrated his ability to deliver just that whether through his TV roles or big screen appearances in films like Selma.
Reports claim that the HBO film will not merely focus on the existence of the scandal that plagued the hearings, but also the impact it had on the entire nation by ultimately changing “the way people think about sexual harassment, victims’ rights and modern-day race relations,” The Hollywood Reporter explained.
Academy Award-nominated writer Susannah Grant has been slated to pen and executive produce the project as Rick Ramuyiwa is expected to direct.
Production is scheduled to begin early this summer.
