Here we round up all the recent happenings in geek TV projects.
Fox’s reimagining of Rocky Horror Picture Show has cast two female characters. Christina Milian is set to play Magenta, a maid of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, according to Deadline; and Annaleigh Ashford will play Columbia, the ensemble’s live-in groupie, also reported by Deadline. Dr. Frank-N-Furter will be played by Laverne Cox and Tim Curry will play the narrator (see “Geek TV News Round-Up”).
FX has announced three actors for its upcoming X-Men universe-based Legion. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), and Jean Smart (Fargo) have all been cast for the pilot, according to THR. Stevens will play the lead, David, the troubled son of X-men founder Professor X; Plaza will play David’s friend Lenny; and Smart will play David’s Melanie, David’s therapist. Production on the pilot will begin in March. The pilot was ordered in October (see “TWO 'X-Men' TV Series in the Works”).
In other Marvel news, Delroy Lindo has been cast as Dominic Fortune in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off series Marvel’s Most Wanted, Deadline is reporting. The show will follow Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood) as they partner for adventure, and occasionally romance in their on-again, off-again relationship (see “ABC Mockingbird Series Is Back”).
Deadline announced Naomi Watts and Tom Sizemore will appear in the Twin Peaks revival, and David Lynch who is returning to direct the Showtime series may also reprise his role as FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole (see “'Twin Peaks' Revival Bumped”).
CBS has ordered a pilot for a modernized Nancy Drew drama, according to Variety. Titled Drew, the series will be a contemporary take on the character from the book series, as an older, 30-something character who works for the NYPD as a detective. The article did not specify the character’s ethnicity, only indicating Nancy Drew would be a “diverse” character and not played by a Caucasian actress.
British actor Rickey Whittle (The 100) has been cast as Shadow Moon, the protagonist in Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods novel, Deadline is reporting. The series will begin shooting in April (see “Starz Goes 'Straight to Series' with 'American Gods'”).