FX’s upcoming limited series “Class of ’09” has added Sepideh Moafi, Brian J. Smith, Jon Jon Briones, Brooke Smith, Jake McDorman, Rosalind Eleazar and Raúl Castillo to the cast. Additionally, Sunu Gonera is set to direct the first two episodes.
The eight-episode series is a suspense thriller that spans three decades and is told across three distinct but interweaving timelines in order to examine the nature of justice, humanity and the choices people make that define their lives and legacy. One of these timelines will be the near future when the U.S. criminal justice system has been transformed by artificial intelligence.
The show follows a class of FBI agents, including previously announced stars Kate Mara as Poet, a woman who never thought she’d join the world of law enforcement and yet is at the center of a pivotal moment of transformation, and Brian Tyree Henry as Tayo, who is described as “one of the most brilliant and unorthodox agents to ever join the Bureau”; he wants not to make his mark on the institution, but to remake it.
While FX announced character names for the new cast additions, nothing is known about who these characters are just yet. Maofi plays Hour, Smith plays Lennix, Briones is Gabriel, Smith is Drew, McDorman is Murphy, Eleazar portrays Vivienne and Castillo portrays Amos.
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Moafi currently stars in Showtime’s “The L Word: Generation Q” and can next be seen in Apple TV Plus’s “In With The Devil,” based on the 2010 novel of the same name. Her past television credits include HBO’s “The Deuce,” USA’s “Falling Water” and ABC’s “Notorious.” When it comes to film, her résumé includes “The Killing of Two Lovers” and “Quest.” She is also a theater performer who most recently appeared in “One Thousand Nights and One Day” at ART/NY Mezzanine Theater. Moafi is represented by A3 Artists Agency and Principal Entertainment LA.
Smith will soon be seen in on the big screen in “Matrix 4.” His prior television credits include Netflix’s “Sense8,” Syfy’s “Stargate Universe,” USA’s “Treadstone,” The CW’s “Gossip Girl” and BBC’s “World on Fire.” He is also known for stage work, including “The Glass Menagerie” on Broadway and on the West End, for which he received Drama Desk, Tony and Olivier nominations. Smith is represented by Innovative Artists and Principal Entertainment LA.
Briones was most recently seen in Netflix’s “Ratched,” but also previously worked with Ryan Murphy on “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” and “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.” An acclaimed musical theater performer, Briones appeared in the original 1989 West End production of “Miss Saigon,” as well as touring productions, the West End revival and Broadway version of that same title. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for the role of The Engineer. His other theater credits include “La Cage Aux Folles,” ”Sweet Charity,” “ The Romance of Magno Rubio” and “Allegiance.” He recently wrapped production on Amblin’s “Last Voyage of the Demeter.” Briones is represented by Piper Kaniecki Marks, A3 Artists Agency, and imPRint.
Smith may be best known for her role in “The Silence of the Lambs” on the big screen and her work on “Grey’s Anatomy” in television. However, other recent credits include ABC’s “Big Sky,” Netflix’s “Unbelievable,” Jay Roach’s “Bombshell,” A&E’s “Bates Motel” and Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.” Smith is represented by Stewart Talent Agency and Sue Leibman/Barking Dog Entertainment.
McDorman can currently be seen in Hulu’s limited series “Dopesick” and will soon be found in Paramount Plus’ “Jerry and Marge Go Large.” He also recurs on FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows” and recently starred in National Geographic’s Disney Plus series “The Right Stuff” and the CBS revival of “Murphy Brown.” Other television credits include HBO’s “Watchmen,” CBS’s “Limitless,” ABC’s “Manhattan Love Story,” Showtime’s “Shameless” and HBO’s “The Newsroom.” When it comes to films, he has appeared in “Lady Bird,” “AmericanSniper,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Ideal Home with Steve Coogan” and “Happiest Season.” McDorman is repped by UTA and Mosaic.
Eleazar’s past television credits include BBC’s “Uncle Vanya,” “Howards End” and “Relik”; Netflix’s “Master of None; Avalon’s “Breeders”; Kudos’ “Deep Water”; Hulu’s “Harlots”; Channel 4’s “National Treasure”; and Amazon’s “Lore.” She made her stage debut in “Plaques & Tangles” at the Royal Court Theatre and her feature film debut in “The Personal History of David Copperfield.” Eleazar has recently completed filming “Slow Horses,” the Apple TV Plus adaptation of the first of Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb spy novels. Eleazar is represented in London by Rebecca Blond Associates.
Castillo is well known for his performances in the independent feature “We the Animals” and on television in HBO’s “Looking.” He will next be seen in the film “Mother/Android,” premiering Dec. 17 on Hulu, as well as in “The Same Storm,” but he also recently wrapped production on “The Inspection.” Currently he can be seen in “Night Teeth” and “Army of the Dead,” both on Netflix. Castillo is represented by CAA, JWS Entertainment, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
As a director, Gonera is known for episodes of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” Starz’s “The Rook” and FX’s “Snowfall,” but he also recently wrapped on HBO Max’s “Raised by Wolves.” However, Gonera also has a background in performing and creating commercials, including for Nike, VW, Coca Cola and U.S. Tennis Association. He directed the feature film “Pride” for Lionsgate and was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for it. He also recently completed the feature “Riding with Sugar,” which is available on Netflix. Gonera is represented by Thruline, A3 Artists Agency and RLG LLP.
“Class of ’09” hails from executive producer and writer Tom Rob Smith and executive producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Gonera will also executive produce the first two episodes. Nellie Reed is a producer on the series. The show hails from FX Productions but will stream exclusively on FX on Hulu.
