Zachary Quinto and Brian Cox have signed on to NBC’s suburban drama, The Slap. As previously reported, the miniseries is based on a successful 2011 Australian series of the same name (which in turn is based off of a 2008 novel by Christos Tsiolkas). The Kids Are All Right’s Lisa Cholodenko will produce and direct the first two episodes, while Peter Sarsgaard and Mary-Louise Parker have already been cast as members of the middle-class suburban world.
According to Deadline, Quinto will play a successful mechanic/dealer named Harry who is “always trying to pick a fight.” He’s responsible for the titular slap when he takes it upon himself to punish another couple’s child at a family barbecue. That act sends their suburban social circle into a tizzy as friends take sides and secrets are unearthed. Cox will play Manolis, a bearded patriarch disgusted with the frivolous lifestyle of the younger generation.
Both the book and the Australian series were divided into eight parts, each told from the point of view of one character who were present at the slapping. NBC has also ordered eight episodes, all of which will be written by Brothers And Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz.