Several stars of shows such as The Flash and Masters of Sex are being lined up for the 2016/2017 action dramas that are now casting their leads…
As production begins on many of the pilots that will compete for time-slots in the 2016/2017 primetime schedules, the announcements concerning key casting choices start to appear and in the last few days there’s been more to add to the list…
FREQUENCY: Based on the 1999 big-screen film that starred Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid, the new CW drama has been looking around at how to cast their updated version. They intend to make the modern character female, but essentially the story of two generations of the same family suddenly finding they can communicate directly through time via a ham radio is still central to the concept. The CW wanted a woman as the modern part of the equation and have announced that Peyton List (best known for roles in the modern Tomorrow People, The Flash and Mad Men) has won the role of Raimy Sullivan a police-officer in 2016 who finds she can possibly repair the estranged relationship she once had with her father (also a police-officer) and – most importantly – also solve his murder and prevent it ever happening back in the year from which he is speaking to her.
Riley Smith (known for The Messengers, Nashville, True Blood and True Detective) will be playing the elder Sullivan, Frank, whose undercover work circa 1996 made him a stranger to his daughter and may have contributed to his original death. The series will also explore the ‘butterfly effect’ on the modern day by the act of tampering with the past. Mekhi Phifer (House) will co-star as Lt. Satch DeLeon.
24-LEGACY: After Corey Hawkins was announced as Eric Carter, the lead in the new 24: Legacy spin-off from FOX, came news that Lord of the Rings‘ Miranda Otto would be playing Rebecca Ingram, the former leader of the CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit). Now we know that they will be joined by Anna Diop (The Messengers) as Nicole Carter, Eric’s wife, in what is considered a ‘significant’ role. Teddy Sears will be playing Keith Mullins, Ingram’s original second-in-command who has now taken over her job – but may have to give up some of that position when circumstances bring Rebecca back to CTU. The actor is probably best known for playing recurring dimensional-counterpart Jay Garrick in The Flash and Doctor Austin Langham in Masters of Sex.
EYEWITNESS: Julianne Nicholson (Masters of Sex, Black Mass) has just been announced as the lead for a new USA Network entitled Eyewitness. The latest project to be based on a Norwegian drama (in this case, International Emmy-winning Øyevitne) it tells the story of a forest-set murder witnessed by two teenage boys who are left in fear of their own lives and their relationship being exposed. But their secret and what they know about the grisly events in the forest quickly unwind. The ten-part series shows what happens through the viewpoints of the various witnesses and interested parties. Nicholson’s role will be Helen Torrance, the small-town sheriff who was once a big city homicide detective and who left the urban beat for a quieter life with her husband… but now finds her old skills proving useful. Tyler Young (The Avatars) will play one of the teenage boys and Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) will direct the pilot episode.
