“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist is set to play Katherine Russell, the widow of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev (played by Themo Melikidze) in Peter Berg‘s drama “Patriots Day,” it was announced Thursday.
Emmy-nominated actress Khandi Alexander (“Scandal”), up-and-coming actor Jake Picking (“Goat”) and veteran character actor James DuMont (“Jurassic World”) have also joined the cast.
“Patriots Day” chronicles the events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Mark Wahlberg stars alongside John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon and Michelle Monaghan. The film co-stars Jimmy O. Yang, Michael Beach, Vincent Curatola, James Colby and Alex Wolff, the latter of whom will play bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Alexander will play a law enforcement interrogator, while DuMont will play a government official. Picking has been cast as MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed three days after the deadly marathon bombing.
Wahlberg is producing the film with Scott Stuber, Hutch Parker, Dylan Clark, Stephen Levinson, Dorothy Aufiero and Michael Radutzky. CBS Films and Lionsgate are co-financing the movie, with the former handling production and marketing, and the latter handling distribution.
“Patriots Day” will open in Boston, New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 21. Production is currently underway in Boston.
Benoist, whose feature credits include “Whiplash,” is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content. Alexander is repped by Green & Associates, while Innovative Artists and Management 360 rep Picking.