Following the passing of beloved actor Andre Braugher, his upcoming role in the new Shonda Rhimes series, The Residence, will go to his friend Giancarlo Esposito. The two men actually go way back to their early acting days on Homicide: Life on the Street. Esposito came aboard the series following Braugher’s exit, but the two had a chance to work together in a follow-up movie.
“I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to be stepping into Shondaland’s The Residence for someone that I loved and respected and cherished in Andre Braugher,” Esposito said in a statement to Deadline. “To be afforded the opportunity to create in his honor with this incredible team extends the depth and breadth of his legacy through all of us who loved him so dearly.”
As for the details of the show, here’s the official synopsis for the Netflix series that’s based on the Kate Andersen Brower book The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House:
132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous state dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.
As for a release date, that’s a bit tricky. According to Deadline, The Residence had already shot four of its eight episodes before the writers and actors strike. Production was supposed to resume on December 12 with Braugher, but plans obviously changed in that regard.
Now with Esposito onboard, Braugher’s scenes will need to be reshot, which will add considerably more time to the production schedule.
(Via Deadline)