The creator of the hit series “Yellowstone” has started production on a new series with Paramount+ based on a Marine who infiltrates a terrorist organization to bring it down from the inside.
Taylor Sheridan, the writer and producer of the blockbuster “Yellowstone” streaming series, is back with “Lioness,” starring Laysla De Oliveira and Zoe Saldana (of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avatar: The Way of Water”) in the exciting espionage thriller.
De Oliveira’s character Cruz Manuelos is a Marine who has lost her children, lover and freedom after being framed for fraud committed by her deceased husband. She finds redemption in the CIA’s Lioness program under Saldana’s character Joe who operates a team of female undercover spies.
“Lioness” features an all-star cast that includes Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Northman”) who plays CIA senior supervisor Kaitlyn Meade, Emmy nominee Michael Kelly (“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”) cast as CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (“The Shawshank Redemption”) as U.S. Secretary of State Edwin Mullins and Sam Asghari (Britney Spears’ husband) as Kamal, according to Military.com.
Kidman’s role as Kaitlyn Meade casts her as the CIA’s senior supervisor with a long career of playing politics. “She must juggle the trappings of being a woman in the high-ranking intelligence community, a wife who longs for the attention she herself can’t even give and a mentor to someone veering suspiciously close to the same rocky road she’s found herself on,” Paramount+ noted in the statement of Kidman joining the cast.
Freeman’s role as Secretary of State Mullins follows his past political role as president in the Fallen series films “Olympus Has Fallen,” “London Has Fallen,” and “Angel Has Fallen.” One of the top 10 highest-grossing actors of all time, Freeman’s iconic voice is certain to stand out as a key part of the top-tier cast.
“I am a huge fan of Taylor Sheridan’s work and am honored to help him tell his next amazing story with LIONESS,” said Tom Brady, showrunner and executive producer. “Taylor has created an epic, gripping, global spy thriller centered on a group of complex, strong women, and I can’t imagine anyone better to help bring these characters to life than fellow executive producers Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña.”
The series is one of a growing list of Sheridan’s titles on the expanding Paramount+ platform. Other titles include “1883,” “Mayor of Kingstown” and the upcoming “1923” and “Tulsa King.”
