WGN America has given a series order to drama Underground, after signing Christopher Meloni to the cast. Additionally, the cast will also feature Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge and Jessica De Gouw. Anthony Hemingway will direct the first two episodes of the 10 episode order.
Created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, Underground follows the slaves who set foot on the fabled Underground Railroad, the secret network of men and women who risked their lives aiding them and the mercenaries tasked with hunting them down at any cost.
Executive producers are Green, Pokaski, Akiva Goldsman, Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold. Sony Pictures Television, Tribune Studios, Weed Road Pictures and Safehouse Pictures will produce.
Meloni (Law & Order: SVU) will play August, a secretive mercenary who walks a tightrope between survival and morality. Smollett-Bell (Friday Night Lights) will play Rosalee, a shy house slave with a powerful inner strength and courage. Hodge (Leverage) will play Noah, a brave and clever slave on the plantation with dreams of freedom and a dangerous plan to escape. De Gouw (Arrow) will play Elizabeth, a socialite who shares her husband's abolitionist ideals.
Additional casting announcements are expected to be announced shortly. Production will begin later this year for a 2016 premiere.
