John Travolta is headed back to TV for the first time in decades. He will soon play the role of Robert Shapiro in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson . Sarah Paulson, Cuba Gooding Jr., and David Schwimmer help comprise the cast.
E! News reports that Travolta will portray O.J. Simpson’s defense attorney from the infamous 1990s trial. Paulson will play prosecutor Marcia Clark, Gooding is O.J. Simpson, and Schwimmer will play the role of Robert Kardashian.
Production is set to start early this year. American Horror Story guru Ryan Murphy will serve as director. The first season of American Crime Story is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. It follows the events of the trial from the prospective of Simpson’s attorneys.
John Travolta will play Robert Shapiro in Ryan Murphy's O.J. Simpson miniseries http://t.co/wtRiUllz1u
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 7, 2015
This will be the first major TV role John Travolta has played since starring as Vinny Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter . That show ran from 1975 to 1979. He currently stars on the big screen in The Forger alongside Christopher Plummer and Tye Sheridan. He recently wrapped filming of Criminal Activities.
In addition to starring in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, John Travolta will also serve as producer for the 10-episode series.