FX's The Old Man is a new thriller series based on the novel of the same name and features a cast of characters led by the legendary Jeff Bridges. Created for television by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, The Old Man is based on the novel by Thomas Perry about a former CIA operative named Dan Chase, who is living in hiding when he is suddenly thrust back into the spy game and on the run after an assassination attempt. It's the first role for Bridges after a battle with cancer and his first TV role in more than 50 years.
Joining Bridges is veteran actor John Lithgow, as well as actress Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat, E.J. Bonilla, and Gbenga Akinnagbe. Creators Levine and Steinberg are best known for their previous TV work on shows like Black Sails, See, and Human Target. The Old Man novel is a standalone book, rather than a recurring series for a central character, making the Hulu series likely to be a one-off adaptation, rather than a seasonal effort.
Additional cast for The Old Man include actors playing younger versions of key characters, including Bill Heck, Noor Razooky, Pej Vahdat, Leem Lubany, and Christopher Redman. The globe-trotting suspense drama series consists of seven hour-long episodes, which will debut on FX and Hulu. Below is the cast and character guide for The Old Man.
Jeff Bridges plays the lead character Dan Chase in The Old Man, a former CIA operative who absconded from the agency and has been living in hiding ever since. An assassination attempt puts him on the run and makes him face the past he's been trying to escape. Bridges is one of the most-respected actors in Hollywood, having worked in the industry for his entire adult life. Bridges is know for his work in films like Jagged Edge, Tron, Tron: Legacy, The Big Lebowski, Seabiscuit, Iron Man, and Crazy Heart, which netted him a Best Actor win in 2010. The Old Man is Bridges' first project since 2018's Bad Times At The El Royale after surviving a battle with lymphoma.
John Lithgow plays Harold Harper in The Old Man, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, who is assigned to track down Dan Chase due to his unique connection to his target's past. Lithgow is a multi award-winning actor known for his work across film and television for decades, including the hit TV show 3rd Rock From The Sun, as The Trinity Killer in Showtime's Dexter, Netflix's The Crown, and HBO's Perry Mason. He has starred in numerous high-profile films throughout his career, including Twilight Zone: The Movie, Footloose, Cliffhanger, The Accountant, Interstellar, Pet Semetary, and as the voice of Lord Farquaad in Shrek. He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for both 1982's The World According to Garp and 1983's Terms of Endearment.
Amy Brenneman plays Zoe McDonald in The Old Man, a woman who rents a room to Bridges' character and becomes an ally when she discovers the truth about him. Brenneman is known for her early work on the '90s hit show NYPD Blue, as well as supporting role in Michael Mann's 1995 thriller Heat. She would later become most-recognized for her work on shows like Judging Amy, Private Practice, and HBO's The Leftovers.
Alia Shawkat plays F.B.I. agent Angela Adams, the protégé of Lithgow's Harold Harper who assists in the hunt for Bridges' Dan Chase. Shawkat is best known for her work on the comedy TV series Arrested Development and the Amazon series Transparent. She most recently starred in the HBO series Search Party.
E.J. Bonilla plays CIA Special Agent Raymond Waters, who works alongside Lithgow's Harper and Shawkat's Adams to track down Bridges' character. Bonilla has appeared in numerous film and TV projects since 2006, including shows like Revenge, Unforgettable, The Long Road Home, and Bull. His most recent feature role was in Will Smith's sci-fi movie Gemini Man.
Gbenga Akinnagbe plays Julian Carson, a highly trained special ops contractor sent to aid in capturing Dan Chase when his apprehension proves to be more difficult than expected. Akinnagbe has a long list of credits to his name, including shows like Barbershop, HBO's The Wire, Nurse Jackie, Damages, 24, and The Deuce. His film credits include The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Independence Day: Resurgence, and Detroit.
Bill Heck as Young Dan Chase - The past younger version of Chase. Bill Heck is known for playing Billy Knapp in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, as well as Rendell Locke in Locke & Key and Bruce in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Leem Lubany as Young Abbey Chase - The past younger version of Chase's deceased wife. Lubany is known for playing Gabrielle Joubert in Condor and Sawsan al-Khafaji in Baghdad Central.
Navid Negahban as Hamzad - An Afghan warlord who once joined forces with Chase in the past. Negaban is best known for playing the Sultan in 2019's Aladdin, Amahl Farouk in Legion, and voicing Sala/The Collector in Netflix's Castlevania series.
Pej Vahdat as Young Hamzad - The past younger version of Hamzad. Prior to The Old Man, Vahdat is known for playing Arastoo Vaziri in Bones, Sam Armand in Arrow, Kelly Patel in Empire, and Dex Dexter in the reboot of Dynasty.
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The first 2 episodes of The Old Man premiere on Thursday, June 16th, exclusively on FX and Hulu, with new episodes debuting weekly on Thursday.
FX's new series adaptation of The Old Man, based on the novel by Thomas Perry, has a stacked cast including Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow.Paul Shirey