The series will dramatize a landmark case that reshaped the fight for accountability: a relentless legal war that stretched nearly a decade to secure almost $1 billion in compensation for first responders who fell gravely ill in the wake of 9/11.
Strong will portray renowned class action lawyer Jason Smith, who risked everything to take on entrenched institutions, exposing the politics, greed, corruption and betrayal that compounded tragedy set against the emergency workers' extraordinary unity and unflinching bravery as The World Trade Center was collapsing.
Tobias Lindholm and Frank Pugliese will write the series, with Lindholm also set to direct. They will executive produce with Strong. Paramount Television Studios and SISTER will produce.
"Though rooted in the unprecedented attacks of September 11, 2001, 9/12 speaks to struggles that reach far beyond that day," said Lindholm. "It asks what happens when those who risked everything are abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them. The series is a testament to human strength and perseverance in the face of unthinkable adversity - the very tension that compelled me to tell this story."
"The great American historian David Halberstam once wrote about September 11th, 2001, 'On a day when the worst of mankind showed itself, the best of mankind answered.'" shared Strong. "9/12 is about the best of us - our first responders whose official response time on 9/11 was five seconds. it is about a moment of unity and togetherness in this divided country, when, amidst the wreckage, we rebuilt and rose again from the rubble. But it is also about the ways our institutions failed to respond to those heroes - whom we pledged we would never forget - in their moment of greatest need. 9/12 is a story about justice, about the restitution of human dignity and about the real-life heroes of this country who we must never forget. Tobias Lindholm is one of the world's greatest writer/directors and has the depth, restraint, integrity, clarity and power to honor this story."
"This project reminds us why storytelling matters," added Jane Wiseman, Head of Originals, Paramount+. "Working with visionaries like Tobias, Frank, and Jeremy has set the tone for the kind of ambitious, resonant narratives Paramount+ will champion."
