It seems Ryan Murphy has the power to do just about anything on television these days. As he should, considering he's the driving force behind a variety of successful shows. The producer recently snagged actress Annette Bening for a rare television appearance for the upcoming Katrina: American Crime Story, and somehow, he's managed to top that. Murphy and FX announced today that another well-known actor, Matthew Broderick, will come on board as the series tackles the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
Broderick enters Katrina: American Crime Story playing the role of former FEMA director Michael D. Brown, who was responsible for the federal disaster response to Hurricane Katrina. As some may remember, Brown faced heavy criticism with regard to the federal response to Hurricane Katrina and the amount of aid FEMA provided to New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. On September 12th, 2005, Brown would hand in his resignation, less than a month after Katrina initially struck. Following the events of Katrina, Brown was called before a congressional hearing in which he and his staff's emails from before and after Hurricane Katrina hit were released. It's likely that many of those emails will be used by Matthew Broderick and the writers to fill in what was happening behind the scenes.
It's safe to say that playing the head of FEMA means that Matthew Broderick will be shown a lot in the series, as a lot of the Katrina disaster revolved around funding arguments between the state and federal level. Undoubtedly, we will be seeing Broderick's Michael D. Brown exchange words with Annette Bening's Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, who often battled with FEMA for more resources and funding. Katrina: American Crime Story is said to follow the events of and following Hurricane Katrina, so it's likely we'll be seeing Broderick again after Brown resigns on the series. That's good to know because I'm very excited to see him in the spotlight again!
Matthew Broderick's casting may not be a coincidence, as one of his most recent appearances in the mainstream was Warren Beatty's Rules Don't Apply. Broderick appeared in the film along with, you guessed it, Annette Bening, so maybe she played a role in getting the actor in Katrina: American Crime Story. Before that, Broderick's most recent appearance on television was a voice acting role on the Cartoon Network series Adventure Time. Broderick also appeared on TV Land's The Jim Gaffigan Show and FX's Louie a couple years back.
I'm excited to see Matthew Broderick back in a dramatic role. I always thought he was great in _Election (_although that's more of a black comedy), so I have high hopes for him in Katrina: American Crime Story. The FX series doesn't have a premiere date as of yet, but we'll keep you posted when that changes. In the meantime, check out what else is coming up in a couple weeks with our midseason premiere guide.
