Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Actor Michael Keaton will make his streaming debut with the opioid crisis drama "Dopesick".

The "Birdman" star will also executive produce "Dopesick", which is an eight-episode limited series exploring the opioid crisis. It is based on the best-selling book by Beth Macy, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"Empire" co-creator Danny Strong is on board to pen the scripts and serve as showrunner, with Barry Levinson attached to the project as a director.

Published in August 2018, "Dopesick" is described as an "ambitious and harrowing look into the epicenter of America's struggle with opioid addiction".

The show aims to take the audience from a "distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA, and to the opulence 'one percenter' Big Pharma Manhattan".

In the series, Keaton will star as Samuel Finnix, an old-school doctor who approaches his practice with kindness and compassion but finds himself embroiled in Big Pharma's secret.

"I'm so thrilled to tell this story with a company as bold and as daring as Hulu," Strong said, adding: "The opioid crisis is one of the most important stories of our time and I'm honoured to not only pay tribute to its victims but to shine a light on the heroes that fought back. Laws were broken and many lies were told. The system failed us and 'Dopesick' is going to show everyone how it all happened."

--IANS sug/vnc