Netflix Announces New Limited Series “Zero Day” Starring and Executive Produced by Academy Award Winner Robert De Niro in His First TV Series

Netflix announced today the new limited series Zero Day, a conspiracy thriller from Creator / Executive Producer Eric Newman under his Grand Electric Productions deal with Netflix, and Creator / Executive Producer Noah Oppenheim.

Zero Day asks the question on everyone’s mind — how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?

About Eric Newman

Co-creator, writer, and executive producer Eric Newman is a film and television veteran whose film productions include Academy Award-nominated CHILDREN OF MEN, Zack Snyder’s reimagining of DAWN OF THE DEAD, and THE LAST EXORCISM. After twenty-plus years in the movie industry, Newman transitioned into television in 2013 as an executive producer on Netflix’s HEMLOCK GROVE. In 2015, his curiosity about the international drug trade led him to conceive, develop, and executive produce his passion project, NARCOS. The show debuted to massive success and in addition to Executive producer, Newman also became a writer and the showrunner of the series. He also served as executive producer and showrunner of seasons 1 and 2 of the spinoff series NARCOS: MEXICO for which his writing was nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award. Since 2017 he has made his home at Netflix with overall deals in both film and television. There, in addition to the NARCOS franchise, he has written and/or produced multiple projects for Netflix including films BRIGHT starring Will Smith; PROJECT POWER, starring Jamie Foxx; and SPIDERHEAD starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, and series TRUE STORY starring Kevin Hart; and the 2022 hit, THE WATCHER. Newman’s upcoming 2023 releases for Netflix include Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic, REBEL MOON, limited series PAINKILLER starring Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick, and the Sofia Vergara fronted GRISELDA, inspired by the life of cocaine queen Griselda Blanco. In addition to ZERO DAY, Newman is in production on the Netflix series, AMERICAN PRIMEVAL which stars Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin, written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg.

Eric Newman: “I am a lifelong fan of Robert De Niro. To have him as a producing partner and star in this show is beyond my wildest dreams. And Lesli Linka Glatter has directed so many of my favorite episodes of television; she was our clear first choice to direct this show. I am grateful to Netflix for their continued faith and support and thrilled to be in business with the amazing creative team of Noah, Lesli, and Jonathan on this timely (and terrifying) series.”

About Noah Oppenheim

Co-creator, writer, and executive producer Noah Oppenheim is an award-winning screenwriter and journalist. He wrote the Academy Award-nominated film Jackie, winning Best Screenplay at the 73rd Venice Film Festival. He also co-wrote The Maze Runner, launching a trilogy that has grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide.

Oppenheim was most recently the president of NBC News, leading the division’s flagship brands — TODAY, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, and Dateline — its business operations, editorial units, digital properties, and bureaus around the world. Oppenheim led a transformation of the division, significantly expanding its digital newsroom, launching three streaming networks — NBC News NOW, TODAY All Day, Dateline 24/7 — and delivering record-breaking financial results every year of his tenure. In 2019, Oppenheim launched NBC News Studios, executive producing the The Thing About Pam, NBC’s top-rated new series for the 2021-2022 season, and several documentary films that have screened at top festivals. Under Oppenheim, NBC News also began producing original podcasts, releasing thirteen #1 hits to date.

Oppenheim began his career in news, leading political talk shows and coverage of multiple presidential elections. He’s reported from around the world, including from North Korea, Russia, Iraq, Israel, and Libya.

Noah Oppenheim credited Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael S. Schmidt and “the stories that kept him up at night” for early inspiration, adding, “To see this ripped-from-reality thriller come to life, starring the legendary Robert De Niro, is more than we could have hoped.”

About Lesli Linka Glatter

Lesli Linka Glatter is a multiple DGA Award-winning and Oscar®, Emmy®, and PGA-nominated Director and Producer, whose prolific 30-year career has seen her shatter the glass ceiling for women in the industry and made her one of the most in demand television Producing Directors working today.

Over her storied career, Lesli has worked on some of television’s most iconic shows including Homeland, The Morning Show, Mad Men, The Leftovers, The West Wing, ER, Twin Peaks, and directed pilots such as Gilmore Girls and Pretty Little Liars. Her films include Now and Then, The Proposition, and State of Emergency.

Most recently, Lesli was the Director and Executive Producer of the upcoming HBO Max miniseries Love & Death, created by David E. Kelley. In 2021, Lesli formed Backyard Pictures with Emmy-winning producer, Cheryl Bloch, which has a first-look deal with Universal Television. She is also developing projects for Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and HBO.

Lesli began her directing career through the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, in which her film Tales of Meeting and Parting was nominated for an Oscar. Lesli serves as the President of the Directors Guild of America. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Directors Branch of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and she is an advisor at the Sundance Institute’s Director’s Lab as well.

Lesli has been committed to mentoring for many years, including helping to develop the successful NBC program, Female Forward. Prior to her work as a director, Lesli was a modern dance choreographer who worked throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

About Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro launched his prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma’s “The Wedding Party” in 1969. By 1974 he had won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of his critically acclaimed performance in “Bang the Drum Slowly” and from the National Society of Film Critic for Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets.” In 1975 De Niro won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of young Vito Corleone in “The Godfather, Part II.” In 1980 he won his second Academy Award, as Best Actor, for his portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” De Niro has earned Academy Award nominations for his work in five additional films: “Taxi Driver,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Awakenings,” “Cape Fear” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

In 2009, De Niro received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished acting. He also received the Hollywood Actor Award from the Hollywood Film Festival, which he won again in 2012, and the Stanley Kubrick Award from the BAFTA Britannia Awards. In addition, AARP The Magazine gave De Niro the 2010 Movies for Grownups Lifetime Achievement Award. De Niro was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. In 2016 he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. He also served as the jury president of the 64th Cannes Film Festival. Upcoming films include “Wise Guys“, for Director Barry Levinson, “About My Father” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” for Martin Scorsese, which will mark their tenth collaboration.

De Niro takes pride in the development of his production company, Tribeca Productions, the Tribeca Film Center, which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1989, and in the Tribeca Festival (nee Tribeca Film Festival), which he founded in 2002 with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. The festival was conceived to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture; the festival’s mission is to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center and help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audiences.

Through Tribeca Productions, De Niro develops projects on which he serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director, and actor. Tribeca’s “A Bronx Tale” in 1993 marked De Niro’s directorial debut. He later directed and co-starred in “The Good Shepherd” with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. In 1992, Tribeca TV was launched with the acclaimed series “Tribeca.” De Niro was one of the executive producers.

Star / Executive Producer: Robert De Niro stars and executive produces in his first TV series.

Format / Episodes: Drama; 6 episode limited series

Creators / Writers / Executive Producers: Eric Newman for Grand Electric (The Watcher, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) and Noah Oppenheim (Jackie, The Thing About Pam, The Maze Runner)

Creator / Executive Producer: Pulitzer Prize winner Michael S. Schmidt

Executive Producer: Jonathan Glickman (Wednesday, Respect)

Director / Executive Producer: Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland, Mad Men, and Love & Death) will direct all episodes