The Business
Billy Ray on ‘The Comey Rule’
Writer/director Billy Ray talks about the making of his Showtime limited series “The Comey Rule,” which stars Jeff Daniels as former FBI director James Comey and Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump.
By Kim Masters • • 28m ListenIn the new Showtime series “The Comey Rule,” writer/director Billy Ray takes on the story of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Brendan Gleeson plays the newly inaugurated Donald Trump as he attempts to woo a very reluctant James Comey, played by Jeff Daniels.
The first installment of the two-part series is an empathetic but unflinching look at the former FBI director’s decision making in the run-up to the 2016 election, which had critics on both the left and right. The second part covers his experience in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Comey offered his perspective on these events not only in testimony before Congress but in his book, “A Higher Loyalty.”
These sources, along with private conversations between Comey and Ray, formed the basis for what unfolds onscreen in “The Comey Rule,” which airs on Showtime on Sunday, September 27 and Monday, September 28. Ray also drew on interviews with high-level officials from both sides of the aisle — though he wouldn’t say exactly who.
