Matthew Rhys dons a fedora in a first-look image from HBO’s upcoming Perry Mason limited series. Once intended to be a starring vehicle for Robert Downey Jr., the series has since cast Matthew Rhys in the title role, seeing the Emmy winner switch gears from Soviet spy in the 1980s to Depression-era lawyer embroiled in the case of a kidnapped child. It’s a far cry from the character that made Raymond Burr famous, as the pay cabler aims to make it the next must-see limited series in 2020.
Perry Mason doesn’t merely have the incredibly talented Rhys in the title role and the benefit of being an attractive period drama going for it. The series also features the talents of frequent Emmy winner John Lithgow and Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany in key roles. The rest of the cast includes, Chris Chalk (Gotham), Juliet Rylance (The Knick), Shae Whigham (Homecoming), Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under), Robert Patrick (Scorpion), Justin Kirk (Weeds), and more.
More: Primal: Genndy Tartakovsky’s Latest Animated Series Is As Stunning As It Is Brutal
With a cast like that, and Downey Jr. serving as executive producer alongside showrunners Ron Fitzgerald and Rolin Jones, and with Emmy winning director Tim Van Patten (are you sensing a theme here?) on board to helm multiple episodes, it would seem Perry Mason is poised to be all that HBO hopes it will be. And now, the first-look image of Rhys, in period-specific garb, helps establish the look of the series ahead of the first trailer. Check out the image of Rhys as Perry Mason, as well as a brief synopsis of the series below:
That the limited series is described as an origin story suggests that HBO may be looking at Mason as a potential franchise, one that could conceivably see the cast and creators returning intermittently to tell more stories of Mason and his legal expertise. It’s also encouraging to read that the series is taking what sounds like a hard-boiled approach to the material, potentially resulting in a noir-ish tale of suspense. Though the image isn’t a lot to go on, Rhys certainly looks good in the role, and hopefully there’ll be a trailer before the year is out.
“While the rest of the country struggles through the Great Depression, this city is booming! Oil! Olympic Games! Talking Pictures! Evangelical Fervor! And a child kidnapping gone very, very wrong! Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, this limited series follows the origins of American Fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer, Perry Mason. When the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.”
Next: His Dark Materials Review: A Beautifully Realized Adaptation Of Philip Pullman’s Novels
Perry Mason is expected on HBO in 2020.
