Painkiller: Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick to lead opioid crisis drama series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Netflix's upcoming limited drama series about the origins of the opioid crisis and the role of Purdue Pharma, Painkiller, has cast Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black, Mrs. America, In Treatment) and Matthew Broderick (Daybreak, Godzilla) in lead roles. West Duchovny (The Magicians), Dina Shihabi (Jack Ryan), and John Rothman (Prime, One Mississippi) are also set to star. Peter Berg (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) is set to direct and executive produce all 8 episodes, with Eric Newman, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, and Alex Gibney executive producing.

Aduba, who delighted fans of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black while playing Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren, will play Edie, an investigator leading the case against Purdue. Broderick will portray Richard Sackler, scion of the billionaire Sackler family and senior executive at Purdue Pharma.

Broderick will play Richard Sackler, a scion of the billionaire family that controls Purdue Pharma and a senior executive at the company.

Duchovny will enter Painkiller as Shannon, a recruit to the Purdue sales team. Shihabi stars as Britt, a veteran sales rep for Purdue. Rothman plays Mortimer Sackler, co-owner of Purdue Pharma.

Netflix's Painkiller is one of two projects currently in development that deal with the opioid crisis. The other is Hulu's Dopesick, which has Rosario Dawson, Michael Keaton, and Peter Sarsgaard set to star.

Netflix's Painkiller takes its cues from The New Yorker article ‘The Family That Built an Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe as well as the book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author Barry Meier.