Tag: Bassett

“This will happen again.”

This is the “haunting” threat that pops up on “every phone in America” following a cyber attack that killed thousands in the first official trailer for Netflix’s upcoming political thriller Zero Day, whose star-studded cast includes Robert De Niro, Angela Bassett and more.

The intense new trailer for the limited series, which hits the streamer next month, opens by revealing that the fatal “Zero Day” cyber attack killed 3,402 people. “Absolute nationwide terror,” one journalist says over shots of destruction and crowds looking for loved ones. “Computer systems completely hijacked,” another adds.

As the unknown perpetrators of the devastating attack threaten a repeat event, the current United States president, Evelyn Mitchell (Bassett, 66), calls upon a beloved former president, George Mullen (De Niro), to investigate — by any means necessary.

“Congress is authorizing a special Zero Day Commission, hunting down anyone who aided and abetted this horrific attack,” Mitchell tells Mullen, who asks, “You’re gonna grab people off the streets without warrants?”

“Actually,” she fires back, “you are.”

As the trailer continues, the pressure is on, and Mullen faces severe criticism from an increasingly star-studded cast as political unrest crops up across the nation. “Prove to me you are of sound mind,” Mullen’s wife (Joan Allen) tells him sternly. “Or I will tell the country that you are not.”

“If the mob storms the castle and comes for all of our heads, everyone’s gonna be in trouble,” the politician’s former aide, Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) says.

As the threat of a repeat Zero Day attack looms, Mitchell is worried that Mullen doesn’t have things under control — and he becomes increasingly consumed with his work. “I run this investigation,” he says, “not the White House, not the CIA.”

“If the public finds out how deep this really is,” the trailer concludes. “I don’t think we survive that.”

Throughout six, one-hour episodes, the Netflix series promises to follow Mullen as he continues to investigate the attacks. “As disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambition of power brokers in technology, Wall Street, and government collide, Mullen’s unwavering search for the truth forces him to confront his own dark secrets while risking all he holds dear,” an official synopsis reads.

Expressing his admiration for the politician’s straightforward nature, De Niro told Netflix’s TUDUM, “That’s the spine of my character in the show. … Don’t dodge anything. Don’t play games. Be honest about what’s going on so that the public knows what’s going on.”

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Alongside Bassett, De Niro, Allen and Plemmons, Zero Day also stars Connie Britton, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Modine, Dan Stevens and Bill Camp. It also guest stars Clark Gregg and Gaby Hoffmann.

The series is headed by showrunner duo Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, who created, wrote and executive produced it. The series is directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, who is also credited as an executive producer, along with Michael S. Schmidt, Jonathan Glickman and De Niro.

Zero Day will be available to stream on Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 20.