Pilot Casting: ‘666 Park Avenue’ veterans land ‘iZombie,’ ‘Red Band Society’ leads

It's time to squish together a couple pieces of casting news into one Friday (March 7) afternoon post, as Dave Annable and Robert Buckley have both landed potential series regular roles on network pilots.

Since both Annable and Buckley were last seen as regulars on ABC's short-lived “666 Park Avenue,” it's almost like the fates wanted them to be mashed into the same story.

Up first, Buckley has scored one of the leads in The CW's DC Comics adaptation iZombie,” which focuses on a med student-turned-zombie who works in the coroner's office in order to eat brains and help solve murders. 

Buckley will play Major, the ex-fiance to lead character Liv (casting TBD). A former college football player-turned-environmental engineer, Major is still hung up on Liv, but trying to be her friend. 

Written by Rob Thomas & Diane Ruggiero and directed by Thomas, “iZombie” will co-star Malcolm Goodwin, Alexandra Krosney and David Anders. 

This would be a network return for Buckley, who was one of the late-season stars of “One Tree Hill.”

Annable, meanwhile, will star in FOX's “Red Band Society,” which has been ordered as a series prototype, with additional scripts. 

“Red Band Society” focuses on a group of teens who meet and bond as patients in the children's wing of a hospital. You may recall that Octavia Spencer was previously cast as a take-no-guff nurse in “Red Band Society,” which comes from writer Margaret Nagle and an Amblin TV production team led by Steven Spielberg.

Annable will play Dr. William McAndrew, described as “a rock star pediatric oncologist and surgeon.”

This one is also a network reunion, since Annable had his first major TV role on FOX's “Reunion.” He's probably best known as Justin on “Brothers & Sisters.”

×