Dennis Quaid will star alongside Annaleigh Ashford in the upcoming Paramount+ drama “Happy Face.”
The “Lawman: Bass Reeves” star is set to take on the titular role of the real-life serial killer who got the name “Happy Face” for notoriously leaving smiley faces on evidence where he bragged about his crimes.
“Happy Face” is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore, the critically acclaimed “Happy Face” podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore and the autobiography “Shattered Silence,” written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook. Ashford will portray Melissa.
The series sees Happy Face find a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life after decades of no contact.
“In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed,” the logline states. “Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.”
In addition to “Bass Reeves,” Quaid recently completed production portraying the 40th president of the United States in the biopic Reagan, produced by Mark Joseph and directed by Sean McNamara. His other credits include “The Rookie,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Traffic,” “Vantage Point,” “Frequency,” “The Parent Trap,” “Soul Surfer,” “The Right Stuff,” “Breaking Away,” “Midway” and many more.
The eight-episode first season will begin production this spring in Vancouver and premiere exclusively on Paramount+ globally in 2025. The first episode will be directed by Michael Showalter (“The Dropout,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)
“Happy Face” is produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts and Semi-Formal Productions. Showrunner Jennifer Cacicio, Robert and Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Melissa Moore, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, Showalter and Jordana Mollick serve as executive producers.
The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.