By Cesar Arredondo

After playing a vigilante for several seasons in a superhero series, actor Rick Gonzalez will don a police uniform in the upcoming Peacock drama series Dan Brown’s Langdon, based on a novel by the author of the bestselling book The Da Vinci Code.

Gonzalez (Arrow) is among the first-billed cast members of the series that follows the early adventures of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save a kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy. The cast includes Ashley Zukerman (Succession) in the lead role, Valorie Curry (Blair Witch), Sumalee Montano (10 Cloverfield Lane), Eddie Izzard (Ocean’s Thirteen) and Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds).

Dan Brown’s Langdon is based on Dan Brown’s third novel The Lost Symbol, also a bestseller and which came after the author’s two popular books Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. These two books were adapted to films starring Tom Hanks.

Gonzalez will play the recurring role of Capitol policeman Nunez. “About to go on an adventure. Wanna join?” posted the actor on Instagram, adding he was excited to be part of the team bringing Brown’s book to life.

The New York-born-and-raised actor of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent landed the new role after appearing in the CW’s Arrow series for five years ending in 2020. In the superhero series, he portrayed the superhero vigilante character Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog, which he also played briefly last year in the limited series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on the same network. His film credits include the sports drama Coach Carter, where he plays a rebellious high school basketball player, and the crime thriller Illegal Terder that won him an Imagen Foundation Award nomination for best actor.

Dan Brown’s Langdon will be produced by CBS Studios and executive directed by Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie, who will also serve as writers. The two collaborated in previous projects like the series The Outer Banks and Matador. Joining the pair in executive directing will be the novel’s author himself, Brown, as well as Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, who together produced the multiple-Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Ron and Brian again on another Langdon project,” said Brown. “We’ve all wanted to make The Lost Symbol for some time now, and I’m grateful to CBS Studios, Imagine Television Studios, Universal Television and Peacock for joining forces to make this project a reality.”

Originally, the series was developed by NBC, which ordered a pilot last year but turned over to Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming service. “The team was blown away by this pilot and its enormous potential to become a big, binge-worthy hit, and our new structure enables us to move it to Peacock and give it every opportunity to make that happen,” said Susan Rovner, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Our ability to pick up a great show is no longer limited by the confines of a network schedule, giving us the freedom to say ‘yes’ to shows we love and then find them the perfect home across our portfolio.”  

Featured Top Photo: Sumalee Montano, Ashley Zukerman and Rick Gonzalez in Dan Brown’s Langdon. (Photo: Peacock)

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Twenty twenty-one will be the year marking Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film directorial debut. The Hamilton playwright and His Dark Materials actor will direct Netflix’s Tick, Tick… Boom!, an adaptation of a musical he starred in a few years ago.

Based on the autobiographical musical by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jonathan Larson (Rent), the drama tells the story of an aspiring New York composer having second thoughts about his career choice. The film is one of a slate of new projects Netflix has for this year.

Miranda will share producer credit with acclaimed Hollywood filmmakers Brian Grazer, and Ron Howard, who directed Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind. Also producing will be Julie Oh (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Hillbilly Elegy).

Tick, Tick…BOOM! takes place in the Big Apple of the 1990s where an aspiring theatre composer in his late 20s waits tables while writing what he hopes will be a successful American musical. Jon is about to turn 30 but his girlfriend is tired of supporting his dreams at the expense of her own. To make things worse, his roommate and best friend is leaving the creative world for a well-paid career in advertising.

Starring in the musical will be Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Love, Simon), Vanessa Hudgens (Beastly, Spring Breakers), and Robin de Jesus (Camp, The Boys in the Band).

This will be the second time Miranda works on Tick, Tick…Boom! He starred in the off-Broadway revival of the musical in 2014. One year later, Miranda would star in Hamilton, his acclaimed Broadway musical hit that incorporates rap music and garnered 16 Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Musical, Leading actor original score and book.  Also for writing the musical, Miranda won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The Hamilton cast album also won a Grammy.

After Hamilton’s success, Miranda has expanded his film and television credits and the film Mary Poppins Returns. He has also contributed to movie soundtracks; Star Wars: Episode VII and Moana, for which Miranda received an Oscar nomination for the theme song. Currently he stars in the HBO dramatic series His Dark Materials.

Featured Photo: Hamilton Production

— Cesar Arredondo

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