Daniel Dae Kim to co-star in his very first lead role in Nat Geo’s ‘The Hot Zone’

National Geographic has chosen its stars for its next episode of the highly rated, disease-focused anthology series “The Hot Zone: Anthrax”.

Today the flagship channel, along with Scott Free Productions and 20th Television (a division of Disney Television Studios), announced that Daniel Dae Kim (“Hawaii Five-0”, “Lost”, “The Good Doctor”) and Tony Goldwyn (“King Richard”, “Scandal”, “Lovecraft Country”) will helm the six-episode show focusing on the anonymous bioterrorism attacks that caused panic across the country just weeks after the 9/11 chaos. The limited miniseries depicts the trials of USAMRIID scientists, FBI agents, and Justice Department personnel who joined forces to overcome the national threat that left five dead and 17 sick. After a series of turf wars and false alarms, the unlikely interagency team resolves the case and approaches the prime suspect.

“Tony and Daniel are both wonderfully versatile and dimensional actors who will bring complexity and depth to these characters,” Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of scripted films and documentaries, National Geographic, said in a statement.

This lead role in the series is also Kim’s first. “It’s not the biggest news given what’s going on in the world today, but after 31 years of working on television this is my first series,” the 46-year-old actor tweeted.

Growing up, Kim’s parents said they hoped their son would become a doctor, lawyer or banker, the actor has told NBC News in the past. However, after taking an elective theater course at university, he instead continued his acting career – a move that initially worried his family. Now her career has included highly acclaimed roles in film, stage and television and has garnered the support of her parents.

In “The Hot Zone: Anthrax”, Kim will play Matthew Ryker, an FBI agent specializing in microbiology, while Goldwyn will take on the role of Bruce Ivans, a brilliant microbiologist who gets drawn into the hunt for the anthrax killer. While working closely with law enforcement to unravel the mystery of the Lethal Letters, Goldwyn himself begins to unravel, leaving room for deeper and baffling discoveries about the complex crime.

Oddly timely science thriller follows last year’s “The Hot Zone”, which starred Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”, “ER”, “Snakes on a Plane”) and was billed as the most watched scripted series of all time. Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson will return for the second installment as executive producers and showrunners. They are joined by Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker of Scott Free Production, who will also be executive producers, along with Jordan Sheehan and Lynda Obst. Richard Preston is the co-executive producer of the series. Principal photography is expected to begin this winter 2021 in Toronto.

Goldwyn is represented by CAA, Untitled and attorneys Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham. Kim is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and UTA, as well as Gang Tire Ramer ETC.

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Cynthia silva contributed.