Angela Bassett joins Robert De Niro in Zero Day: Everything we know so far

Robert De Niro fans, get excited! The Academy Award-winning actor and all-around legend will be starring in his first television series… and it’s coming to Netflix. As first hinted in November 2022, De Niro will star in and executive produce the conspiracy thriller limited series Zero Day. He'll joined by a fellow Oscar-caliber actor as Angela Bassett joins in a leding role.

Beyond Bassett's incredible star power in front of and De Niro's in front of and behind the camera, Emmy Award-winning director Lesli Linka Glatter will bring her talents to direct all six episodes of the limited series. She previously directed episodes of Mad Men, Homeland, and many other fan-favorite television shows.

The series was created by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael S. Schmidt, Eric Newman, and Noah Oppenheim, with the latter two serving as the show’s showrunners and writers. There’s no doubt it’s going to be one of the best Netflix shows released when it premieres!

When is Zero Day starring Robert De Niro filming?

According to a press release on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, production on the limited series has officially begun ahead of the holidays in New York. When the series was ordered by Netflix back in March 2023, the streamer hadn't provided a production or release timeline, and since both the writer's and actor's strikes both pushed back filming, it's great news that production has started.

Netflix didn't divulge when production could come to an end, but we can predict that since the limited series will only contain six episodes, filming could likely wrap sometime in early 2024. The cast and crew will probably take a break for the holidays and get back to it in January. Filming should take a couple months before post-production begins, which could take up to six months.

For now, we're predicting a potential release for Zero Day sometime in summer or fall 2024. Of course, we'll have a more solid prediction once Netflix announced that filming has wrapped.

Zero Day casting updates

The limited series has grabbed some huge names and talented performers, including the aforementioned Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett. In the main cast, there are plenty of familiar faces to be found. Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons, and Joan Allen were each added to the cast back in April 2023, paving the way for the series to be a star-studded binge.

On Dec. 19, Netflix made the exciting announcement that Academy Award-nominated actress Angela Bassett will play the show's president, while also adding another handful of recognizable talent. Along with Bassett, Netflix announced the castings of Dan Stevens, Matthew Modine, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffman, Clark Gregg, and others.

Check out the cast members announced so far:

• Robert De Niro as George Mullen
• Lizzy Caplan as Alexandra Mullen
• Jesse Plemons as Roger Carlson
• Joan Allen as Sheila Mullen
• Connie Britton as Valerie Whitesell
• Angela Bassett as President Mitchell
• Dan Stevens as Evan Green
• Matthew Modine as Richard Dreyer
• Bill Camp as CIA Director Lasche
• McKinley Belcher III as Carl Lopez
• Gaby Hoffman as Monica Kidder
• Clark Gregg as Robert Lyndon
• Mark Ivanir as Natan

What is the limited series about?

When Netflix revealed more cast members, the streamer also offered some key details about their characters and the plot of the series. De Niro’s George Mullen is a former American President who exits retirement in order to help lead an investigation into a global cyber attack. Caplan plays his daughter Alexandra, a congresswoman who consciously separated herself from her father.

Allen appears as Sheila, the former First Lady and federal bench nominee, who seemingly had to put her career goals to the side to support her husband. Plemons stars as Mullen’s former “body man,” and Britton plays his former Chief of Staff. Clearly, there’s tension all around with these characters, and it’s going to make for a captivating watch in the midst of a crisis.

Take a look at the official synopsis shared by Netflix:

"Zero Day asks the question on everyone’s mind — how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?"

Are you excited to check out Robert De Niro’s first television series on Netflix? Stay tuned for more news and updates from Netflix Life!