House of Cards will model new characters on the politically influential Koch brothers in its upcoming sixth and final season.
New cast members Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear will play Annette Shepherd and Bill Shepherd, a brother and sister who run Shepherd Unlimited, described by Netflix as “a leading industrial conglomerate whose family foundations exert a powerful behind-the-scenes force in the American political landscape.” The Shepherds are said to have a “complicated past” with Frank and Claire Underwood, the central characters on House of Cards.
Cody Fern, an alum of American Horror Story: Apocalypse and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, will play Annette Shepherd’s ambitious son who represents “the next generation of D.C. power players,” per Netflix.
Brothers Charles and David Koch run Koch Industries, the Wichita, Kan.-based conglomerate with a range of holdings in energy, transportation, farming, textiles and more. The brothers are known for using their vast fortune to support conservative candidates and causes, giving them enormous influence in American politics.
House of Cards star Robin Wright is taking center stage in the final season in her role as Claire Underwood, the political wife who winds up becoming President of the U.S. Kevin Spacey played the venal politico Frank Underwood for five seasons but was fired last November amid a cascade of stories about alleged sexual misconduct in his past, including an alleged assault on actor Anthony Rapp when he was 14.
Netflix will launch the final eight episodes of House of Cards on Nov. 2.
