Greg Kinnear is set to make his Broadway debut as one of the most famous heroes of 20th century fiction, Atticus Finch, in the stage adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” producer Barry Diller announced on Tuesday.
Kinnear will take over the role from Jeff Daniels on January 5, having previously been set to take the role in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway along with the rest of the performing arts world. Bartlett Sher directed the play from a script adapted from Harper Lee’s classic novel by Aaron Sorkin.
“There is nothing in the Greg Kinnear IMDb credits that you will find that will suggest that I am in any way an obvious choice for for taking on this role,” Kinnear told The Associated Press. “This will all be a new endeavor for me. I welcome it and I’m thrilled about it.”
“To Kill A Mockingbird,” which won a Pulitzer in 1961, was turned into a Best Picture-nominated film that earned Gregory Peck an Oscar. Kinnear will follow in Peck’s footsteps as Atticus, an Alabama lawyer in the 1930s charged with defending a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Kinnear, who recently appeared on the Netflix show “House of Cards,” earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the Best Picture-winning comedy “As Good As It Gets.” He joins a “Mockingbird” production that has sold out all its performances since November 2018 and held special performances at Madison Square Garden and the Library of Congress.
Kinnear is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher