Owain Yeoman, who played the stolid, square-jawed detective Wayne Rigsby on The Mentalist, has been cast as the DC villain Vartox in the new CBS Supergirl series and will have a guest spot on the show’s pilot.  The Supergirl series, which Greg Berlanti is producing at Warner Bros. TV, and which stars Melissa Benoist as the eponymous superheroine (see "First Look at TV Supergirl"), has already received a series commitment from CBS (see "Now All Major Networks Have Live-Action Comic Series"), so the pilot episode is more of a formality here.

CBR confirmed Yeoman’s casting and received a description of his role on the TV series from WBTV: "Owain Yeoman plays longtime DC Comics villain Vartox, an alien convict, who has been hiding on Earth for the past twelve years.  After Supergirl's emergence on Earth, Vartox seeks her out to ascertain her identity and do battle with her."

Glen Winter, a veteran director of comic book-based material (Smallville, Arrow, Flash), is directing the Supergirl pilot.  The show is expected to be part of the CBS lineup next fall.