Thandie Newton and Melissa George have been cast in NBC's upcoming miniseries "The Slap."

Newton will play Aisha, who is Hector's wife and is a doctor and mother to their two children. Organized, she readies herself for the onslaught as she makes preparations for Hector's birthday party, irritated but somewhat amused when her in-laws show up. Often stressed, but philosophical, she reminds her husband, "We're just very busy and tired people with two kids and a houseful of agitated guests."

Newton is a Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA winner for her role in the Oscar-winning film "Crash." Other movie credits include "Beloved," "Mission: Impossible II," "The Chronicles of Riddick" and "W." Her TV credits include "ER" and "Rogue."

George will play Rosie, who is Gary's hippy wife and mother to 5-year-old Hugo on whom she lavishes smothering affection. Defensive about her decision to keep Hugo at home rather than send him to preschool, she is a meddlesome mom, scolding the older children whom she thinks are bullying her precious son. Her ire is out of control when she learns that Hugo has been slapped by Harry, as he takes away a baseball bat that the 5-year-old is waving in his own son's face. Rosie, convinced Hugo has been unalterably traumatized, sets in motion a confrontation that embroils and affects everyone who witnessed it.

George was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in HBO's psychiatrist drama "In Treatment." Her other TV credits include "Alias," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Good Wife" and the Australian version of "The Slap."

Peter Sarsgaard, Mary-Louise Parker, Zachary Quinto and Brian Cox have previously been cast.

NBC has ordered eight episodes of the miniseries "The Slap," based on the critically-acclaimed Australian project of the same name that aired in 2011. No air date has been set.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz ("The West Wing," "Brothers & Sisters") and also produced by Universal Television, "The Slap" is a complex family drama that explodes from one small incident where a man slaps another couple's misbehaving child. This seemingly minor domestic dispute pulls the family apart, begins to expose long-held secrets, and ignites a lawsuit that challenges the core American values of all who are pulled into it.

Baitz, who was a Pulitzer finalist for his semi-autobiographical play "A Fair Country," will write all episodes and executive produce with Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Ted Gold and Tony Ayres.