Martin Freeman To Star In 'Fargo' Miniseries For FX

'Sherlock' Star Joins FX's 'Fargo' Remake
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 12: Martin Freeman attends the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards 2013 at the Royal Festival Hall on May 12, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn McCormack/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 12: Martin Freeman attends the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards 2013 at the Royal Festival Hall on May 12, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn McCormack/WireImage)

He'll play Lester Nygaard, "an insurance salesman who has seen better days. Henpecked by his wife, his life is changed forever when a mysterious stranger comes to town." William H. Macy played the role in the Coen Brothers' 1996 film, which earned him an Oscar nomination.

As previously announced, the aforementioned mysterious stranger is named Lorne Malvo, and will be played by Billy Bob Thornton. Malvo is described by FX as a rootless, manipulative man who meets a small town insurance salesman and sets him on a path of destruction.

The 10-episode miniseries will reportedly follow an all-new "true crime" story, "with a new case and characters all seeped in the humor, murder and 'Minnesota nice' of the original." The project is being penned by Noah Hawley ("The Unusuals"), with Joel and Ethan Coen among its executive producers.

Earlier this summer FX's John Landgraf told reporters that "It's hard to describe how remarkably true it is to the movie," adding that there will also be a female law-enforcement character in the miniseries, but she'll be "a young deputy in her early 20s."

In addition to his role as Dr. John Watson in the British series "Sherlock," Freeman currently stars as the young Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's "Hobbit" trilogy.

Do you think Freeman is a good choice for the role of Lester Nygaard?

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