Los Angeles, Jun 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."