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Martin Freeman to star in 'Fargo' miniseries executive produced by Coen brothers

Martin Freeman to star in 'Fargo' miniseries executive produced by Coen brothers

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BBC SHERLOCK Martin Freeman
BBC SHERLOCK Martin Freeman

A ten-part miniseries based on Joel and Ethan Coen's 1996 thriller Fargo has its two stars. Martin Freeman will join Billy Bob Thornton — whose involvement was previously announced — in the FX series set to premiere next spring, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Freeman, known from The Hobbit trilogy, the TV show Sherlock, and the recent The World's End, will portray a man named Lester Nygaard, an insurance man put in a money bind quite similar to the position of William H. Macy's character in the feature film. Thornton, meanwhile, picks up on Steve Buscemi's role. He plays a troublemaker named Lorne Malvo, "a rootless, manipulative man" who sets Freeman "on a path of destruction." FX president John Landgraf earlier said that the show would be "remarkably true to the film," and the casting decisions certainly reflect that. The Coen brothers will executive produce the limited series.