Fans of Breaking Bad are excited and curious to see Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader in the AMC show, take on the role of Benjamin Franklin in the new History channel miniseries Sons of Liberty . The show will reportedly focus on the founding fathers of the United States of America, but with a particular emphasis on the “wild side” of the American Revolution.
While most of the cast of Sons of Liberty is rounded out by unfamiliar faces, the most famous actor in the bunch is arguably Dean Norris, who will play Benjamin Franklin, who is arguably the most famous founding father of all. You can see some photos from the set of Sons of Liberty below, showing Norris in his full Benjamin Franklin costume .
Norris bears a striking resemblance to Benjamin Franklin, and the costume comes complete with Franklin’s notorious long hair and receding hair line. Fans will be interested to see Norris, who is known for his tough-guy role as Hank on Breaking Bad , attempt the aristocratic demeanor of Benjamin Franklin. Many people imagine Franklin as a smart and reserved guy, but with Sons of Liberty tackling the wilder parts of the founding fathers, it’s possible that a more rambunctious version of Benjamin Franklin will be presented. And it might not be too far off from the reality of Ben Franklin’s character. After all, Franklin did publish an essay about flatulence titled “Fart Proudly.” Click here to find out why Franklin did so.
Here you can see Dean Norris as Benjamin Franklin seated next to George Washington. But Franklin and Washington aren’t the only major players in the show. According to the press release, Sons of Liberty follows “a defiant and radical group of young men — Sam Adams, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren — as they band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation.”
Just Jared confirms that Franklin and the other fathers won’t necessarily be portrayed as “noble patriots in powdered wigs,” but rebels who struggled to make a new life for themselves in a birthing nation. Dean Norris seems to be the right man for the job to pay a rough-and-tumble interpretation of Benjamin Franklin.
What do you think? Does Dean Norris fit as Benjamin Franklin? Or do you think Franklin could have been better cast?
Sons of Liberty will premiere on January 25th at 9pm ET/PT on the History Channel.
