HBO has released our first on-set look at Kerry Washington as Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill, who, in 1991, gave testimony that accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment while she was working for him, derailing his ascension to the highest court in the land. It's the subject of Rick Famuyiwa's upcoming Confirmation, in which Thomas will be played by the great Wendell Pierce, who has a long history with HBO in both The Wire and the superb post-Katrina drama Treme. I wouldn't exactly expect as lovable personages as his beleaguered Baltimore detective, Bunk, or the Trombone-blowing Antoine Batiste in his depiction of the famously flippant Thomas, however.

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Image via Open Road Films

The film, written by Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes scribe Susannah Grant, will also serve as Famuyiwa's follow-up to his enjoyable, enlivening Dope, which hits theaters in a limited release this coming weekend. On top of Washington's high-profile lead performance and Pierce's take on Thomas, the supporting cast features heavy hitters like Greg Kinnear, playing not-so-soon-to-be Vice President Joe Biden, Dylan Baker as Senator Orrin Hatch, and Cobie Smulders as Harriet Grant, one of the lawyers who interviewed Hill during the hearings. The Americans' ace-in-the-hole Alison Wright will also be featured as Thomas' ultra-conservative wife, Virginia, while Jennifer Hudson is appearing as Angela Wright, who also accused Thomas of inappropriate behavior. The cast also includes Bill Irwin, Eric Stonestreet, and Treat Williams in unspecified roles, though, I must say, Irwin would make a great President George H.W. Bush. No release date has been set yet but this is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated television events of 2015.

Take a look at the full photo of Washington as Hill below:


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Image via HBO