Gina Torres Joins Patrick Dempsey in ‘Memory of a Killer’

Fox’s newest thriller is building out its cast. On Thursday, September 18, the network announced that joining Patrick Dempsey (who is returning to broadcast television) in Memory of a Killer and coming back to Fox after her starring role on 9-1-1: Lone Star is Gina Torres.

Torres will “heavily” recur as an FBI agent and serve as an antagonist for Dempsey’s hitman throughout the first season. She’ll be put on the path to discovering secrets he’s been keeping close.

This new series puts a twist on the story about a hitman. Read on for everything we know about it, from the cast to a premiere date and more.

Who stars in Memory of a Killer?

Patrick Dempsey has been cast as the main character, Angelo Ledda, a hitman leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret: that he has developed early onset Alzheimer’s.

Joining him is Michael Imperioli as Dutch, an accomplished Italian chef who owns a restaurant in the Bronx, a stalwart establishment that is also a front for Dutch’s less sociable activities — such as running a criminal enterprise. As ruthless and mercurial as he is affable, Dutch is Angelo’s oldest friend, as well as his employer — he gives Angelo the targets for his hits. In a business as dangerous as theirs, Angelo must trust Dutch. But being trustworthy isn’t one of Dutch’s more dependable qualities.

Richard Harmon plays Joe, a hitman on the rise working for Angelo and Dutch in their clandestine crime business. Joe gets stuck with the grunt work – gathering recon and sorting getaway plans – but that puts him in prime position to witness Angelo’s Alzheimer’s decline. Joe knows he could make or break Angelo, but he also knows that choice could cost him everything.

Odeya Rush plays Angelo’s daughter, Maria. “Married young and pregnant, it seems she’s chosen a quiet life. But something stirs in her – a yearning for adventure. Might she be a chip off the old hitman block? Angelo is Maria’s everything, so when his mind begins to falter, she’s right there by his side to care for him. As she gets closer and closer to her father, she’ll find that being close to Angelo is a dangerous place to be,” reads the character description, via Deadline.

Gina Torres will recur as Linda Grant, described by Fox as “a mercurial, seasoned and brilliantly tenacious FBI Agent who becomes a major antagonist for Angelo across Season 1.” Her character description continues, “When Grant begins investigating one of Angelo’s kills, it puts them on a collision course that will see Grant come perilously close to unmasking Angelo’s many secrets and threatening everything he holds dear.”

The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. It’s from Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone, who executive produce alongside Cathy Schulman of Welle Entertainment. Arthur Sarkissian and Martin Campbell are also executive producers, along with Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks.

What is Memory of a Killer about?

The new dramatic thriller is inspired by the 2003 award-winning Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer (La Memoire Du Tueur). It follows Dempsey’s “hitman who develops early onset Alzheimer’s. Losing your memory is a devastating hammer blow for anyone, but for Angelo Ledda, the stakes couldn’t be higher. His hitman job would be perilous enough, but there’s an added pressure. Angelo lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Having built and maintained a brick wall between his two worlds, Angelo has seamlessly juggled and compartmentalized for years. But now that’s all about to change. Because Alzheimer’s is a foe he can’t outrun, and he knows too well how this ends, as his older brother is already lost to the condition.”

The series description continues, “Angelo is exceptionally resourceful and talented, the best of the best. But he’s about to be tested like never before — and now every minute counts. This is only made more difficult when he discovers that his wife’s recent death may not have been an accident. So, when someone comes after his daughter — who is pregnant — it’s clear the wall between his lives has been breached. Angelo must stop whoever’s coming for his family by searching his past hits for clues, and the list is very long. Now Angelo must hunt down his mortal enemy while continuing to carry out hits without giving away his diagnosis and still making it home in time to cook dinner for his daughter. Memory of a Killer is a redemptive story about a man who is losing his memory but gaining a conscience. Because Angelo knows he must stop history from repeating itself and save his family — before he forgets the past.”

During a call with reporters on Sunday, May 11, Michael Thorn, President, FOX Television Network, FOX Entertainment, called it “a dramatic thriller with a noisy unrelenting hook that immediately grabbed our attention. In the spirit of 24 and House, Memory of a Killer is anchored by a bold lead with all the makings of another undeniable signature Fox character. In addition to the visceral qualities of the script, it’s one of the most emotionally charged stories I’ve seen in a long time.”