Emmy Award-winning executive producer David E. Kelley and Oscar winner Barry Levinson collaborated on a new psychological crime thriller entitled The Calling-which is set to stream exclusively on Peacock. Kelly is known for his work on Big Little Lies and The Undoing. He serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer of The Calling. Levinson directs the pilot, multiple episodes and is an executive producer.
The show’s script focuses on NYPD Detective Avraham Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch) who has a commitment to his community to seek the truth. His spiritual beliefs cause him to question reality, making solving crimes a challenge for citizens he vows to protect as well as himself due to internal conflicts. The series is based on Dror Mishani’s novel of the same name. Kelley asserts that the original literary work is “riveting and emotionally complicated series of books.”
“Avi is a deeply mysterious, spiritual and compelling detective unlike any protagonist I’ve encountered before, “Kelley expressed in a press statement. “[Actor] Jeff Wilbusch brings him to rich and hypnotic life in front of the camera, and behind the camera Barry Levinson is…Barry Levinson. What a privilege to have him at the helm. Add Hans Zimmer to the mix, and the final product is something we hope thrills, moves, and instills a bit of hope in the audience.
The ensemble cast includes Juliana Canfield, Karen Robinson, Michael Mosley. Chris Sullivan, Constance Zimmer, Ben Shenkman, Rafael Cebrián, Danielle Davenport, Noel Fisher, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Christopher Mann, Steven Pasquale, Stephanie Szostak, Tony Curran, Matthew Del Negro, James Cusati Moyer, and Derrick Delgado.
Co-composers Zimmer and Mazzaro stated, “Our goal with The Calling was to write a score that constantly keeps every character a suspect throughout. We used a variety of raw and gritty-sounding stringed instruments coupled with pulsing synth, contrasted by a beautifully haunting duduk performance from our good friend, Pedro Eustache for Avi’s characters. We’ve also manipulated real-world sounds such as jail cells and door sounds hidden within our percussion.”
The Calling is an eight-episode, hour-long series set to debut on Peacock November 10th.