‘White House Plumbers’ Trailer: Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux Protect Nixon’s Presidency
Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux are ready to fix political leaks.
The duo star as real-life former CIA and FBI agents who were hired by the Nixon presidency to investigate the Pentagon Papers leak in upcoming HBO limited series “White House Plumbers.” Emmy-winning “Veep” creators David Mandel, Alex Gregory, and Peter Huyck are behind the series.
Per the official synopsis, “White House Plumbers” takes the audience behind-the-scenes of the Watergate scandal as Nixon’s political saboteurs, E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Theroux), accidentally topple the presidency they were zealously trying to protect… and their families along with it.
Chronicling actions on the ground, this satirical drama begins in 1971 when the White House hires Hunt and Liddy, former CIA and FBI, respectively, to investigate the Pentagon Papers leak. After failing upward, the unlikely pair lands on the Committee to Re-Elect the President, plotting several unbelievable covert ops – including bugging the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate complex. Proving that history can sometimes be stranger than fiction, “The White House Plumbers” sheds light on the lesser-known series of events that led to one of America’s greatest political crimes.
Lena Headey, Judy Greer, Domhnall Gleeson, Kiernan Shipka, F. Murray Abraham, Toby Huss, Ike Barinholtz, Kathleen Turner, Kim Coates, Yul Vazquez, Alexis Valdés, Nelson Ascencio, Tony Plana, Zoe Levin, Liam James, Tre Ryder, David Krumholtz, Rich Sommer, and John Carroll Lynch also star.
The limited series is based in part on Egil “Bud” Krogh and Matthew Krogh’s 2016 book “Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Life Lessons from the White House,” as well as public records.
“White House Plumbers” is directed and executive produced by David Mandel, with the series being created, written and executive produced by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck. Frank Rich, David Bernad, Gregg Fienberg, Len Amato, Ruben Fleischer, and lead stars Harrelson and Theroux also executive produce. The series is a HBO co-production with wiip with executive producers Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, and Nne Ebong.
“I guess what I like to say is, ‘It’s a drama, but it’s really funny,’” director Mandel told IndieWire. “We definitely walk a really fine line. This show doesn’t have jokes. There’s no jokes. However, there’s a lot of funny stuff because [that’s how it] happened. That’s the easiest way I can express it. If I could pick a dream version, I’d say it’s a little bit like ‘Boogie Nights,’ where you can’t help but laugh.”
“White House Plumbers” premieres May 1 on HBO.
Check out the trailer below.