Development News - February 19, 2014
ABC's Clementine, Forever, Sea of Fire, Selfie, The Visitors & Warriors; CBS' NCIS: New Orleans; FOX's Empire; NBC's Mission Control, The Mysteries of Laura & Old Soul; TBS' Tribeca; and TNT's Proof.
NBC's MISSION CONTROL
- The single camera workplace comedy pilot is staging a Better Off Ted with the casting of both Malcolm Barrett and Jonathan Slavin as regulars. Barrett will play Arthur, an engineer on the new woman astronaut's crew. Slavin will play the weirdo genius on the crew.
CBS' NCIS: NEW ORLEANS
- Paige Turco (Person of Interest, The 100) has been cast on the upcoming planted spinoff of NCIS. She will play Linda, the wife of NCIS Special Agent Pride (Scott Bakula). She will guest in the backdoor spinoff and will recur if the spinoff is picked up to series.
ABC's SELFIE
- Doctor Who alum Karen Gillan has landed the lead role on the comedy pilot form Suburgatory creator Emily Kapnek. She will play Eliza Dooley, a self-obsessed, 20-something woman who is more concerned with "likes" than being liked. After suffering a very public and humiliating breakup, she becomes the subject of a viral video and suddenly has more social media "followers" than she ever imagined - but for all the wrong reasons.
- Additionally, Julie Anne Robinson has signed on to direct the comedy pilot.
TBS' TRIBECA
- Deon Cole - host of TBS' Deon Cole's Black Box - will co-star on the comedy pilot starring Rashida Jones. He will play Officer DJ Tanner, head of the K-9 unit.
TNT's PROOF
- Edi Gathegi (Justified) and Caroline Rose Kaplan have been cast on the drama pilot executive produced by Kyra Sedgwick. Gathegi will play Zed, a Sudanese hospital intern tasked with finding proof of life after death. Kaplan will play Janel, assistant to billionaire Ivan Turing.
NBC's OLD SOUL
- Greta Lee (Girls, Wayward Pines) will appear on the single camera comedy pilot starring Natasha Lyonne. She will play Alix, Nadia's (Lyonne) loyal friend with a type A personality and "will not fail" attitude.
ABC's THE VISITORS
- Derek Webster (Revolution, The Night Shift) has booked a regular role on the drama pilot. He will play Jessup Rollins, an FBI agent with two disciplinary reprimands on his record and a past of difficult behavior.
ABC's WARRIORS
- Australian actor Don Hany (White Collar Blue, Healing) has been tapped for the leading role on the drama pilot. He will play George Mann, a trauma surgeon who can't stop taking care of his patients, though it nearly breaks his heart every day.
FOX's EMPIRE
- Lee Daniels' The Butler co-star Terrence Howard is reuniting with the Oscar-nominated film's director Daniels and writer Danny Strong as the lead of their FOX drama pilot. He will play Lucious Lyon, a charismatic, savvy music superstar who is about to take his company, Empire Entertainment, public. Raised on the streets, he has never backed away from a fight and will resort to any measures, fair or foul, to defend his beloved Empire.
NBC's THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA
- Debra Messing (Smash, Will & Grace) has been cast as the lead of the drama pilot from writer Jeff Rake. She will play Laura Diamond, a female homicide detective who can handle murderous criminals - but not her hell-raising twin children. Production on the pilot will be moved to New York City where Messing is based.
ABC's FOREVER
- Veteran TV actor Judd Hirsch (Taxi) will co-star on the drama pilot from writer Matt Miller. He will play Abe, Henry's best friend, an older and insightful gentleman who knows Henry's secret - that he is actually immortal - and encourages him to get out of the lab more often and just enjoy life.
ABC's CLEMENTINE
- Kathleen Munroe (Alphas) has joined the cast of the drama pilot starring Sarah Snook. She will play Lydia, Charlie's (Kevin Alejandro) practical, regimented and protective fiancé who is often at odds with Clementine (Snook).
ABC's SEA OF FIRE
- Zoe Soul and Keir Gilchrist has been cast on the drama pilot starring Jennifer Carpenter and Jack Davenport. Soul will play Sonya Harper. Gilchrist will play the town's big drug dealer.
