Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones Set to Co-Star in Hulu’s James Franco Starrer ’11/22/63′

Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones Set to Co-Star in Hulu's James Franco Starrer '11/22/63' - The Hollywood Reporter

The miniseries hails from executive producers J.J. Abrams and Stephen King. AP Images/Invision

The miniseries hails from executive producers J.J. Abrams and Stephen King.

Hulu has set the remainder of its cast — and a director — for its nine-hour miniseries 11/22/63.

Based on Stephen King's best-seller, 11/22/63 is described as a thriller in which high school English teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, his falling in love and the past itself…which doesn’t want to be changed.

Chris Cooper (Lonesome Dove, American Beauty) will play Al Templeton, the irascible owner of Al’s diner and a mentor and friend to Jake. His appeal to save Kennedy sends Jake on his incredible mission. 

Cherry Jones (Awake, 24) will portray Marguerite Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother. She is as needy and difficult as her infamous son. Daniel Webber (Home and Away, Sleeping Beauty) is set as Oswald, one of the most discussed figures in American history and an enigma even to himself. 

George MacKay (Defiance) will portray Bill Turcotte, a young, guileless bartender from 1960s Kentucky who becomes Jake’s ally.

Lucy Fry (Vampire Academy) is Marina Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald’s Russian wife. She is a knockout and challenged to make her way in a foreign country with her unpredictable husband. 

Leon Rippy (Stargate) is Harry Dunning, a kind, soft-spoken and damaged janitor at the school where Jake works in 2015; his traumatic early life in the 1960s has a surprising impact on Jake.

They join a cast that also includes previously announced Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold) as Sadie Dunhill, the luminous, sharp librarian in 1960s Jodie, Texas. She falls in love with Jake, unaware of his double life. 

Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, One Day in September) has also signed on to direct and executive produce the first two hours of the nine-hour event series.

Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, The Red Road) will pen the script and executive produce the drama alongside King and Bad Robot's J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. Bad Robot's Kathy Lingg will co-executive produce, and Athena Wickham will produce.

The drama hails from Warner Bros. Television, where Abrams' Bad Robot is under an overall deal. 11/22/63 marks the first collaboration for Abrams and Hulu, which will be the stateside home for the series.

Cooper is repped by Untitled and Morris Yorn; Jones is with WME; Webber is with Sophie Jermyn Management, Industry Entertainment and Gang Tyre; MacKay is with UTA and Gordon and French; Fry is with ICM Partners, Intellectual Artists Management; Rippy is with Michael Greene & Associates and Mark S. Temple.

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Lesley Goldberg