John Travolta has signed up for his first starring role in a television series since playing Vinny Barbarino in the late ’70s on Welcome Back, Kotter, joining the cast of FX’s American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. The miniseries examines the O.J. Simpson trial, with Travolta set to play Simpson’s attorney Robert Shapiro.
FX previously announced Cuba Gooding Jr will play O.J. Simpson, and David Schwimmer will co-star as Simpson’s friend and attorney (and father of all those reality TV stars), Robert Kardashian. American Horror Story: Freak Show‘s Sarah Paulson will play lead prosecutor Marcia Clark.
In addition to being a part of the cast, Travolta will also be a producer on the 10-part miniseries. The series is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto, and Murphy will be directing the first episode. FX expects filming to begin this spring.
The Plot: Based on the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, the miniseries is a look at the O.J. Simpson trial told from the perspective of the lawyers. It explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution overconfidence, defense shrewdness, and the LAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.
