Michael Shannon and Emilia Clarke join McCarthy biopic

McCarthy, the new biopic that explores the life of former American Senator Joseph McCarthy, has added an impressive lineup of actors for its cast. 

Michael Shannon of Take Shelter, Nine Perfect Strangers fame will play the title senator. Emilia Clarke who rose to fame with Game of Thrones will play McCarthy’s wife Jean Kerr, Dane DeHaan (Lisey's Story, The Place Beyond the Pines) will play Roy Cohn, McCarthy’s chief counsel during the Army-McCarthy hearings, and Scoot McNairy (Argo, Halt and Catch Fire) will play the senator’s colleague Ray Kiermas.

Directed by Czech actor and filmmaker Václav of Marhoul of The Painted Bird fame, McCarthy will deeply explore the life of the notorious anti-communist politician who served in the US Sante from 1947 to 1957. McCarthy is known for having prompted an anti-communist witch hunt, which led to the persecution of innocent people. McCarthy died in 1957 at the age of 48 from hepatitis.

The original screenplay for McCarthy was written by Tom O’Connor (The Hitman's Bodyguard films, The Courier). The film has cinematography Vladimír Smutný and Ján Vlasák, who have previously worked with Marhoul on The Painted Bird. The film is scheduled to start production in Prague and in the United States in the fall of next year.