EXCLUSIVE: Waleed Zuaiter will play Saddam Hussein in High Value Target, the series adaptation of John Nixon’s nonfiction book Debriefing the President.
For All Mankind star Joel Kinnaman already had been announced in the series, which has been developed for TNT in the U.S. But the Saddam casting was not out there, and we can confirm Zuaiter will star as the deposed Iraqi leader who was executed in 2006.
The project originally carried the same name as the book upon which it is based but has a new working title of High Value Target.
The limited series tells the story of CIA analyst John Nixon (Kinnaman), who became the first American to positively identify and interrogate Saddam Hussein following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It delves into Nixon’s personal journey as he grapples with the complexities of his mission. Through his interactions with Saddam, Nixon gains a deeper understanding of the Iraqi dictator, the potential consequences of the invasion and the humanitarian and geopolitical turmoil that would ensue.
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Zuaiter is a Palestinian-American actor and producer whose credits include The Girlfriend, London Has Fallen and The Men Who Stare at Goats. He was a producer on Omar, which won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and then scored an Oscar nom for Best Foreign Language Film.
We already had the news that Lena Góra was starring in High Value Target. TNT confirmed Zuaiter’s role in the show as well as several other names including Paul Ryan, who will appear as President George W. Bush in the series, and Danielle Lewis who plays Condoleezza Rice. Tom Berenger and Christopher McDonald also are listed in the cast.
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The series is made by AR Content and StoryFirst. Academy Award nominee Alexander Rodnyansky (Leviathan) and Leslie Greif (Hatfields & McCoys) are producers. Kinnaman also exec produces. No official launch date yet, but filming has wrapped on the series after a shoot in Egypt.
Escapade Media is across international distribution and has already pre-sold several territories with news expected soon on other deals.
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