Aaron Paul received a bit of bad news earlier this year when Hulu decided to cancel The Path, but that's all in the past, as the actor has found an exciting new role to latch onto. The former Breaking Bad star will be getting back into the world of crime dramas for Apple's upcoming star-studded drama Are You Sleeping, and he's once again been given a character who has found himself on the wrong side of the law.
Aaron Paul is set to portray Warren Cave, a man found guilty of a crime he potentially didn't commit, making him a significant part of Are You Sleeping. The drama is largely centered around an investigative journalist, played by Octavia Spencer, who seeks to uncover the truth of Warren's decades-old trial as a project for her new podcast. The show is based on true crime podcasts like Serial, and it seeks to show audiences the real-life consequences that come with bringing the pursuit of justice to a public stage. "Is Warren innocent or guilty?" will almost certainly be a question viewers will ask themselves frequently whilst watching, which likely means Paul will be getting a sizable chunk of screentime and narrative thrust.
Of course, that's not necessarily a sure thing, since Aaron Paul will be sharing the screen with quite a few other notable actors in Are You Sleeping. Beyond Octavia Spencer, TVLine reported the series will also feature other series regulars such as This Is Us' Ron Cephas Jones, ER's Mekhi Phifer, Weeds' Elizabeth Perkins and Sons of Anarchy's Michael Beach. There's also Lizzy Caplan, who will be playing not one, but two characters in the series, Josie and Lizzy, with the former being the central focus of the book this series is based on. Caplan's character is forced to confront her past after trying to leave it all behind after her father was murdered 13 years prior.
Aaron Paul's portrayal on Are You Sleeping may be especially poignant in this modern era, as attention is coming to more and more cases in which individuals may have been wrongly convicted. Paul will have an opportunity to take the experiences of those like Steven Avery, Adnan Syed, and Brendan Dassey who have been thrust into the spotlight and had their own murder cases re-analyzed in the court of public opinion. Paul has played a wide variety of roles in Hollywood since his breakout role as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, and while he definitely has played characters who've engaged in criminal behavior, it will certainly be a change of pace to see him as a convicted felon.
Are You Sleeping is currently in development for Apple's upcoming streaming service. For a look at other projects coming to streaming in the near future, be sure to visit our Netflix and Amazon premiere guides. Anyone just wishing to see what's headed to television in general, regardless of its platform, should visit our summer premiere guide.
