EXCLUSIVE: Mark Duplass is set as the male lead opposite Ellen Pompeo and Imogen Faith Reid in Orphan (working title), Hulu‘s eight episode limited series starring and executive produced by Pompeo.

Co-written by Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland, the series is inspired by the true story of Natalia Grace and the Midwestern couple who adopted her believing she was a little girl with dwarfism but gradually started to believe she may not be who she said she was.

Duplass will play Michael Barnett, at the time husband of Pompeo’s Kristine Barnett, and adoptive father to Natalia (Imogen Faith Reid). 

In 2019, Michael (Duplass), an upbeat Midwestern dad and retail manager, was charged, along with his ex-wife Kristine (Pompeo), for the neglect and abandonment of their daughter Natalia, whom they adopted in 2010. Already in the public eye because of Kristine’s bestselling book The Spark– about raising their son Jacob, a science prodigy– Michael’s world begins to crumble as he and Kristine are forced to defend the narratives they’ve spun about Natalia in the courts of law and public opinion. 

Robbins serves as creator, writer and executive produces with Sutherland on the series, which is told from multiple points of view to reflect the conflicting narratives of its central characters. Pompeo executive produces through her production banner Calamity Jane with Laura Holstein. Mike Epps, Dan Spilo, NIles Kirchner and Andrew Stern also executive produce. Liz Garbus directs and executive produces the pilot. ABC Signature is the studio.

Duplass plays Chip Black on Apple TV+s The Morning Show, a role which earned him a 2020 Emmy nomination and a 2022 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He previously co-created, with his brother Jay, and also starred in HBO’s Togetherness, as part of Duplass Brothers Productions’ first-look deal with HBO. DBP recently released DVP’s Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut Biosphere starring Duplass and Sterling K. Brown, as well as the HBO documentary Last Stop Larrimah. Upcoming releases include Nnamdi Asomugha’s The Knife and the third season of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere. Duplass is repped by CAA.