Robert De Niro is taking on his first starring TV series role — and he isn’t starting small.
Now streaming, Zero Day is created by Eric Newman (Griselda, The Watcher, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) and Noah Oppenheim (President, NBC News, TODAY, Jackie, The Thing About Pam, The Maze Runner). The thrilling and terrifying limited series follows a beloved and highly respected former United States president (De Niro) as he leads the investigation into a nationwide cyberattack while battling his own personal demons. And yet, “Right now, our actual world is scarier,” De Niro told Netflix.
“Zero Day is about the aftermath of a devastating cyberattack that kills thousands of people and threatens to push a nation already on the precipice over the edge,” Newman told Netflix.
Oppenheim added, “The show also looks at the cost of power for those who are asked to take on these enormous challenges — what it means for them personally, and what it means for their families.”
In addition to starring in the series, De Niro is also a producer. “[De Niro] very much became our partner in this process — very hands-on, very involved, read everything at every stage, and it’s been an incredible honor and privilege,” said Newman. “You can count on one hand the actors and actresses in history who bring this level of gravitas, pedigree, and talent to their work.”
The limited series stars De Niro as respected former President George Mullen, who, as head of the Zero Day Commission, is charged with finding the perpetrators of a devastating cyberattack that caused chaos and thousands of fatalities across the country. Disinformation runs rampant and the personal ambitions 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.
Zero Day asks the question on everyone’s mind: How do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theories and subterfuge, how many of those forces are of our own making — maybe even our own imagining?
De Niro appreciates that Mullen’s ethos is to just tell it straight. “That’s the spine of my character in the show,” said De Niro. “Don’t dodge anything. Don’t play games. Be honest about what’s going on so that the public knows what’s going on.”
Can I watch the Zero Day trailer?
Yes. “Absolute nation-wide terror” rips through the country as it’s hit with widespread technology outages in the trailer at the top of this page. De Niro’s former President Mullen is a key player in the plan to find out who’s behind the attack, but can he figure it out before it happens again?
Who’s in the Zero Day cast?
See the full Zero Day cast and character details here.
- Robert De Niro (The Irishman) is George Mullen, a hugely popular but complicated former US president who’s pulled out of retirement to head the Zero Day Commission, an unprecedented group of experts tasked with investigating a devastating global cyberattack.
- Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) is Evelyn Mitchell, the current US president. Mitchell is a brilliant and perceptive political tactician who hires Mullen to take on an unprecedented role in American history.
- Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog, Fargo) is Roger Carlson, George Mullen’s former aide. Roger is now a trusted fixer and an unabashed hustler who’s seeking a return to the national stage alongside Mullen.
- Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble, Fatal Attraction) is Alexandra Mullen, a young congressional representative from New York who’s worked hard to distance herself from her father’s political legacy and establish herself in her own right.
- Connie Britton (White Lotus, Friday Night Lights) is Valerie Whitesell, a savvy, intelligent political operative and Mullen’s former chief of staff who returns to public life to oversee Mullen’s new role back in the spotlight.
- Joan Allen (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Contender) is Sheila Mullen, former first lady and nominee to the federal bench. Elegant and always poised, Sheila is a supportive and present wife and mother with strong professional ambitions of her own — and she’s nobody’s fool.
- Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Oppenheimer) is Richard Dreyer, a confident, colorful public figure. As the speaker of the house, he’s an adept politician.
- Bill Camp (The Queen’s Gambit, The Night Of) is CIA director Jeremy Lasch, the ultimate insider who seems to know everyone’s secret. He can either be a dangerous enemy or a valuable friend to Mullen and everyone in his circle.
- Dan Stevens (Gaslit, Beauty and the Beast) is Evan Green, the charismatic, calculating, and divisive host of a wildly popular political TV show who becomes a thorn in George Mullen’s side as his loudest critic and chief public antagonist.
- McKinley Belcher III (We Won This City, Ozark) is Carl Otieno, a tough, brilliant Department of Justice lawyer who serves as the Zero Day Commission’s lead investigator.
- Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent, Girls) is Monica Kidder, a controversial Silicon Valley billionaire whose brilliant vision and technological domination has the power to help or hinder Mullen’s investigation.
- Clark Gregg (Painkiller, Florida Man) is Robert Lyndon, a corporate raider, provocateur, and billionaire who has mastered the dark arts of political manipulation.
- Mark Ivanir (Away, Barry) is Natan, an intelligence operative and Mullen confidant from an era when intelligence — and trust — still mattered.
