Picture courtesy of Netflix
Production on Netflix’s new political thriller, The Madness, starring Fear the Walking Dead’s Colman Domingo, has resumed. Production was meant to wrap in August 2023. However, it was cut short thanks to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. As of February 2024, filming is underway.
Note: This preview was first published on January 12th, 2023, and has since been updated with new information. It was last revised on February 15th, 2024.
Stephen Belber and VJ Boyd both serve as co-showrunners on the new series and executive producers.
Netflix’s The Madness will be directed and executive produced by prominent TV director Clement Virgo, whose credits include Netflix’s 2022 hit Dahmer, Netflix’s The Get Down, the HBO classic The Wire, as well as Billions, Empire, and many more. He will direct episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8.
Picture: Clement Virgo
Also in the director’s chair for The Madness are Quyen Tran and Jessica Lowrey, directing episodes 3 through 6.
Peter Chernin, the Chernin Entertainment production company, and Clement Virgo will produce The Madness. Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill also serve as executive producers.
Chernin Entertainment set a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix in April 2020 and has produced nearly half a dozen released projects thus far, with plenty more on the way.
When the project was officially announced on February 8th, Netflix’s Peter Friedlander said:
“The Madness is a fresh take on the conspiracy thriller — turning the genre on its head with its multi-layered characters, propulsive action and swift pace. We are proud to have such a powerhouse team assembled to bring this dynamic story to life for Netflix viewers around the world, and to continue producing great entertainment with team Chernin.”
Here’s everything else we know about Netflix’s The Madness:
What’s the plot of The Madness?
The Madness has been in development for over a year, and various loglines for the series have been released.
The earliest logline for the series was “a political thriller with a Van Jones (CNN)-like character at the center. When he witnesses a murder, he becomes the target of a chase in order to keep some politician’s dark, racial-charged dealings under wraps.”
In late 2022, a more refined (yet similar) project summary was released:
“When a news anchor witnesses a murder, he becomes the target of a chase in order to keep some politician’s dark, racial-charged dealings under wraps.”
Since then, Netflix has provided an updated synopsis:
“In THE MADNESS, media pundit MUNCIE DANIELS (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive.”
Who is cast in The Madness?
Colman Domingo – Picture: Getty Images
For an extensive period, Colman Domingo was the only confirmed cast member of The Madness. The actor is known for his leading role in Fear the Walking Dead and subsequent roles in Netflix movies such as Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Rustin.
Domingo plays the lead role of the media pundit Muncie Daniels. Reacting to the news of the new series announcement on Instagram, Domingo said, “That’s the message. Let’s Go.” On Twitter, he added, “I am beyond thrilled. This series is an epic, game-changing thriller. Let’s Go!”
We have since learned that five series regulars have been added to the cast: Marsha Stephanie Blake (Orange Is the New Black) as Elena Daniels, Gabrielle Graham (Possessor) as Kallie, John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook) as Franco Quinones and Tamsin Topolski (What You Wish For) as Lucie Snipes.
Top Left to Bottom Right: Marsha Stephanie Blake, John Ortiz, Tamson Topolski, and Tamsin Topolski
What’s the production status of The Madness?
Official Production Status: Filming (Last Updated: 15/02/2024)
In January 2023, Netflix’s The Madness went into pre-production in Toronto, Canada. Filming was eyed to begin on March 13th but eventually started on March 27th, 2023.
Filming was due to wrap by August 10th, 2023. However, with just under a month left of filming, on July 14th, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA strike began, and production on The Madness was postponed.
On July 13th, 2023, hours before the SAG-AFTRA strike started at midnight, Colman Domingo tweeted “We Closed. Period.” The Directors Guild of Canada confirmed the postponement of the production of The Madness.
We Closed. Period.
— Colman Domingo (@colmandomingo) July 13, 2023
With the strikes over, filming was rescheduled, beginning on February 12th, 2024. Filming is due to end by March 29th, 2024.
How many episodes will be in The Madness?
The limited series will be made up of 8 episodes.
What’s the Netflix release date for The Madness?
With filming due to wrap by the end of March 2024, there’s a chance we could see The Madness on Netflix before the end of 2024.
All we can do is wait until Netflix confirms the release.
Are you excited about The Madness? Let us know in the comments.
