The star of Falling Skies, Noah Wyle, and the creator of Justified, Graham Yost, have joined forces and secured a script commitment for Those Angry Days – a limited FX series set to examine the political machinations that divided America from 1937 to 1941, as the nation debated the prospect of involvement in World War II.
Now in early development, the collaboration between Sony Pictures TV and FX Prods will reportedly see Noah Wyle play the legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow, with many other historically significant figures of the time also appearing – including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The action of the television event will play out against the backdrop of a Europe engulfed by war, as influential figures in the U.S Congress and across the country resist joining the fight against Hitler. This balanced view of the time will also portray the factors contributing to the decision to enter the conflict whole-heatedly.
Trading in apocalypse for historical drama, Wyle is lining up Those Angry Days as his post-Falling Skies project, now that the series is in its fifth and final season. For his part, Yost is in a similar position, with cameras beginning to roll on the sixth and final season of Justified. Both are named as Executive Producers for this new venture.
Those Angry Days represents an intriguing change of pace for Wyle, who has focused far more on action-oriented roles in recent years. Yost, on the other hand, brings with him a wealth of experience, having written episodes of both Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, as well as an episode of Wyle’s show, Falling Skies.
Being in its earliest developmental stages, Those Angry Days is unlikely to arrive on our television schedules before next year, but we can look forward to plenty of exciting casting announcements – specifically for the great historical figures of the time.