Michael Stuhlbarg has joined the cast of Hulu’s upcoming opioid crisis drama “Dopesick.”
The “Call My By Your Name” actor will play Richard Sackler, the son of Purdue Pharma founder Raymond Sackler and nephew of famed medical advertising guru Arthur Sackler. The younger Sackler oversaw the development and marketing of OxyContin.
Stuhlbarg joins an ensemble cast which includes Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, Will Poulter, Rosario Dawson, John Hoogenakker, Philippa Soo, Jake McDorman, Ray McKinnon and Cleopatra Coleman.
The eight-episode limited series is described as “an ambitious, harrowing and compelling look into the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction.” It will tell the story of the opioid crisis through a distressed Virginia mining community, the hallways of the DEA and the opulence of “one-percenter” Big Pharma Manhattan.
Set to premiere in 2021, “Dopesick” is based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name by Beth Macy.
Hailing from Twentieth Television and The Littlefield Company, the series is written by “Empire” co-creator Danny Strong and will be directed by Barry Levinson. Additional executive producers include Macy, John Goldwyn, Warren Littlefield and Karen Rosenfelt.