Actor Stephan James has been cast in Fox’s upcoming racially-charged “event” television series Shots Fired.
The 22-year-old Race and Selma star will play the male lead opposite Sanaa Lathan (Love & Basketball) on the new Fox series, which will center on an investigation into a series of racially-charged shootings in a small Tennessee town.
Lathan will play a veteran investigator sent to dig into the shootings, while James will play a Justice Department special prosecutor assigned to the cases, according to Variety.
“The pair must navigate the media attention, public debate and the social unrest that comes with such volatile cases, as they seek justice before the divided town erupts,” the series synopsis reads.
Fox Broadcasting green-lit Shots Fired in December. The series is written and executive produced by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) and Reggie Rock Bythewood (Notorious). Imagine Television’s Brian Grazer and Frannie Calfo are also onboard as executive producers.
“Gina and Reggie have crafted a profoundly moving portrayal of a timely and sensitive issue that pervades our culture at this very moment,” FBC entertainment president David Madden said in a statement when the show was announced. “This is not only an important story to tell, but also an explosive mystery-thriller, and we couldn’t be in better hands both with the creative team behind this, along with the very talented Sanaa Lathan leading the cast.”
James’s most recent role is as Olympian Jesse Owens in the biopic Race, which is currently in theaters.
Shots Fired does not have a release date yet but is expected to premiere later this year.