Gugu Mbatha-Raw has landed the female lead in FOX’s drama pilot “Touch,” opposite Kiefer Sutherland.
Created by Tim Kring (“Heroes,” for better or for worse), “Touch” stars Sutherland as a father who comes to realize his autistic son (David Mazouz) is communicating with him using a complicated numeric system. That’s impressive. Wanna know what’s more impressive? The son may also be predicting the future.
According to Deadline.com, Mbatha-Raw will play Clea Hopkins, a social worker evaluating the father and son’s domestic situation.
Danny Glover was previously cast as a professor with an interest in gifted children.
FOX hasn’t actually ordered “Touch” to series, what with “Touch” not having shot a pilot yet, but the drama is still expected to eventually find a home on the network at midseason.
J.J. Abrams chose the relatively unknown Mbatha-Raw to star in his highly touted NBC drama “Undercovers” last spring. That didn’t work out so well, though Mbatha-Raw emerged from the swift cancellation largely unscathed. She’ll next be seen in the summer comedy “Larry Crowne,” opposite Tom Hanks.