You may know her as the lead from the two “Happy Death Day” films, but actress Jessica Rothe has been an actress on the rise for a while now, showing up in the films “Forever My Girl” and a small role in “La La Land.” However, she really broke out thanks to the aforementioned horror films and will soon use that newfound status in the upcoming Amazon series “Utopia.”
Deadline reports that Rothe is the latest addition to the already-strong cast for Gillian Flynn’s upcoming sci-fi thriller series. For those not familiar with “Utopia,” the series is based on a British show of the same name and follows a group of young people that get involved in a global conspiracy after they discover a graphic novel they have is actually filled with massive government secrets. They’re then hunted down by a shadowy organization, natch. The series was originally set up at HBO with David Fincher to direct, but since its move to Amazon, only Flynn remains, as writer and showrunner.
READ MORE: ‘Happy Death Day 2U’ Is Just As Splendidly Self-Aware, Goofy & Loopy [Review]
Rothe joins the previously announced cast of Sasha Lane (“American Honey”), Rainn Wilson (“Super,” “The Office”), and John Cusack (“Love & Mercy”). The series is thought to begin production later this year, with an eye towards a 2020 release.
According to the report, Rothe is set to play Samantha, an extremely idealistic, sharp-witted leader. She seems to be the driving force behind the group trying to uncover the secrets that are found in the graphic novel and is said to be the comic book know-it-all of the group.
In addition to the films mentioned at the top, Rothe is about to add the film “Valley Girl” to her filmography. That film is a remake of the classic 1983 rom-com that starred a very young Nic Cage.
