This week it was announced that Robert De Niro will be making his first foray into television, starring in Zero Day, a new limited series political thriller for Netflix. This will come from creators Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim.
Eric Newman is best known for his work as showrunner for the acclaimed Netflix series Narcos and its spin-off Narcos: Mexico. Oppenheim is most known for his work as a senior producer on NBC’s Today Show, becoming President of NBC News in 2017. Oppenheim was also involved in the supposed suppression of Ronan Farrow’s expose into the Harvey Weinstein sexual allegations story that broke that year.
This is an interesting partnership for Netflix. Pairing a trusted producer in Newman with Oppenheim, a man known for his political journalism on NBC could provide a unique way to tell a political thriller like Zero Day. Newman knows how to handle action and tension, as seen in both Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. Oppenheim likely has experience and knowledge of the inner workings of American politics with his experience in news. It is an ambitious pairing from Netflix that could pay dividends.
Few details about Zero Day are known, besides De Niro reportedly playing a former President. This is an intriguing role for De Niro, his known political activism and staunch criticism of former President Donald Trump made headlines during his Presidency. De Niro is known for his legendary film career, but rarely does he get the chance to take on something with such an overt political spin as Zero Day.
Joining to develop the story, Collider reports, is Michael Schmidt. Schmidt is a Pulitzer Prize Winner. He won the prize with another reporter from the New York Times with stories about sexual allegations against Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly, which led to the firing of Reilly. In 2020, Schmidt wrote Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President. Schmidt’s work on Trump could have been a reason that De Niro was interested in the project, and suggests a political spin on Zero Day that might delve into issues of misuse of power.
Netflix has assembled a team with experience in both known blockbuster television and political journalism. If Netflix were able to bring De Niro into his first major television role at this late stage in his career, this could suggest a really promising project from the streamer. Fans have plenty to be excited for, as Zero Day begins development.
Words by James Evenden
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