Noah Emmerich, Topher Grace, Others Join Julianna Margulies in The Hot Zone

The Americans‘ Noah Emmerich, That ’70s Show alum Topher Grace and former House doc Robert Sean Leonard are among the eight cast additions for The Hot Zone, Nat Geo’s adaptation of the Richard Preston bestseller.

In the six-episode limited series, Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) stars as Dr. Nancy Jaax, a real-life U.S. Army scientist who “put her life on the line to head off the outbreak of the Ebola virus before it spread to the human population.” Emmerich will play Lt. Col. Jerry Jaax, Nancy’s husband who doesn’t hesitate to risk his life during the operation to contain the Ebola virus, while Grace has been cast as virologist Dr. Peter Jahrling.

Leonard, Agent Carter‘s James D’Arcy and Justified‘s Nick Searcy will respectively play Hazelton research lab liaison Walter Humboldt, CDC official Trevor Rhodes and Reston Monkey Facility manager Frank Mays.

Rounding out the mini’s cast, Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Paul James (The Path) and Robert Wisdom (The Wire) will play Nancy’s ally Wade Carter, lab tech Ben Gellis and Col. Vernon Tucker of USAMRIID aka Dr. Jaax’s superior.

Production begins this week in Toronto with an eye on a 2019 premiere.