A grip of pilot castings came down the pike on Tuesday, and below you can find a brief roundup of each:
– “My Name Is Earl” alum Jason Lee will star in CBS’ “Second Sight,” a crime drama about a New Orleans detective cursed with an ocular disorder that causes him to experience terrifying visions – described by his doctor as “signposts from his subconscious.” Written by Michael and Gerald Cuesta (“L.I.E.”), the pilot is based on the British series of the same name that starred Clive Owen. [EW]
– Michael Pena (“End of Watch”) has signed on for Fox drama pilot “The List,” in which he’ll play an obsessive-compulsive U.S. Marshal tasked with tracking down the person responsible for stealing a file containing the identities of every Federal Witness Protection Program participant – several of whom have recently turned up dead. “Gangster Squad” director Ruben Fleischer is on board to helm the pilot from a script by writer/executive-producer Paul Zbyszewski (“Lost,” “Hawaii Five-0”). Richard T. Jones and Charity Wakefield were previously cast in the prospective series. [Hollywood Reporter]
– Catherine O’Hara (“Temple Grandin,” “For Your Consideration”) has been cast in Fox’s single-camera comedy pilot “To My Future Assistant,” which will center on a group of assistants at a big-time New York law firm who band together to help each other cope with their overbearing bosses. O’Hara will star as Magda, a powerful lawyer with two-faced tendencies. Written by Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer (“I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine”), who adapted from the blog/forthcoming book “To My Assistant” by Lydia Whitlock. [Deadline]
– Tate Donovan has joined Toni Collette and Dylan McDermott in CBS’ “Hostages,” about a Washington, D.C. surgeon (Collette) whose family is taken hostage after she’s tapped to operate on the President of the United States. Donovan will play Bryan, the real-estate agent husband of Collette’s character who is forced to cooperate with his captors after they threaten to expose a secret he’s been hiding. McDermott is on board to play an FBI agent in the drama pilot, which was written and will be directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (“Homeland,” “Chicago Fire”), who executive-produces alongside Jerry Bruckheimer. The project is in what’s known as “second position” for Donovan, who currently stars on NBC’s low-rated (and edging towards cancellation) drama series “Deception.” [Hollywood Reporter]
– Ramon Rodriguez (Bosley in last season’s ill-fated “Charlie’s Angels”) has boarded the Fox drama pilot “Gang Related,” in which he’ll star as Ryan Lopez, a gang member who infiltrates the San Francisco police force and begins to struggle with an increasing sense of loyalty toward his new “family” in the SFPD. The pilot will be written by Chris Morgan (“Fast Five,” “Wanted”) and directed by Allen Hughes (“Broken City,” “The Book of Eli”); the former will also serve as executive-producer alongside Brian Grazer, Scott Rosenbaum and Francie Calfo. [Hollywood Reporter]
– Geoff Stults (“The Finder”) will star in Fox’s “Enlisted,” a comedy pilot centering on three very different brothers who work together on a north Florida Army base. Stults will play Sgt. Pete Waits, described as a natural leader who is tasked with reining in the notoriously-lazy Rear Detachment unit. He joins previously-cast Keith David in the single-camera project, which was written by “Cougar Town” co-creator Kevin Biegel. [Hollywood Reporter]
– Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) has been tapped for ABC’s “Killer Women,” a drama pilot based on an Argentinean TV series that’s being executive-produced by “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara as well as Martin Campbell, the latter of whom will direct. Helfer will star as Molly, a woman chosen to join the male-dominated Texas Rangers whose top-notch professional capabilities contrast sharply with her messy personal life. The potential series comes from “The Raven” screenwriter Hannah Shakespeare. [Hollywood Reporter]
– George Segal (TV Land’s “Retired at 35,” “Entourage”) will star opposite Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Bridesmaids,” “Reno 911”) and Jeff Garlin (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) in ABC’s ’80s-set single-camera comedy pilot “How the Hell Am I Normal,” written by “NYC 22” thesp Adam Goldberg, who based it in part on his own experiences. Segal will play the father of Garlin’s character Murray, a hotheaded husband and father who along with his wife Beverly (McLendon-Covey) can’t bear to see his children grow up. The pilot will be directed by “Identity Thief” helmer Seth Gordon. [Deadline]
– Josh Hamilton (“Third Watch,” “Dark Skies”) has nabbed the male lead opposite Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”) in Bravo’s hour-long drama pilot “Rita,” about an outspoken private-school teacher (Gunn) who must balance raising three teenagers with the demands of her job. Hamilton will play the school’s principal Terrence, who is infatuated with Gunn’s title character. The pilot, which comes from writer Krista Vernoff (“Private Practice,” “Grey’s Anatomy”), will be directed by Miguel Arteta (“The Carrie Diaries,” “The New Normal”). [Deadline]
– Maya Kazan, the granddaughter of Oscar-winning director Elia Kazan, has been tapped to star in the CW’s “Company Town,” a drama centering on two twentysomething young women – Krista (Gage Golightly) and Page – whose close friendship fell apart after finding themselves on opposite sides of the line separating civilians and military personnel in a Virginia Naval community rocked by scandal. Kazan will play Krista’s friend Marla, a frustrated artist. The potential series was written by Sera Gamble (“Supernatural”) and will be directed by Taylor Hackford (“Ray,” “Parker”). [Deadline]
– Post- failed Oren Peli experiment “The River,” cast member Eloise Mumford is returning to ABC for a new drama pilot entitled “Reckless,” in which she’ll star as Sarah, a fearless doctor whose husband leaps into action after she’s unjustly imprisoned in East Myanmar following a political uprising. The pilot, which comes from writer/executive-producer Chris Black (“Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives”), will be directed and executive-produced by “Casino Royale” helmer Martin Campbell. [Deadline]
– John Ortiz, an alum of HBO’s ill-fated horse-racing drama “Luck,” has been tapped to star opposite Greg Kinnear in the Fox drama pilot “Rake,” in which he’ll star as Ben, the best friend and cohort of Kinnear’s brainy-but-self-destructive defense lawyer Keegan Joye. Ben is the more conservative yin to Keegan’s yang who nicely complements the latter attorney’s flashier qualities both in and out of the courtroom. The script for the pilot will be written by Peter Duncan, creator of the Australian series on which the pilot is based. He’ll also executive-produce alongside Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me”), Michael Wimer, Richard Roxburgh and Ian Collie. Also on board to star are Miranda Otto, Necar Zadegan and Bojana Novakovic. [Hollywood Reporter]
– Kirk Ward will play Tallahassee, the character originated by Woody Harrelson, in Amazon Studios’ “Zombieland” pilot opposite Tyler Ross (taking over for Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus) and Izabela Vidovic (stepping in for Abigail Breslin as Little Rock). Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who penned the hit 2009 film on which the series is based, wrote the pilot and will executive-produce alongside Gavin Polone. The prospective series will continue the adventures of of the main foursome from the film, survivors of a zombie apocalypse. [Deadline]
– Gregg Sulkin (“Pretty Little Liars,” “Wizards of Waverly Place”) will star with Emma Roberts and Billy Campbell in the Fox drama pilot “Delirium,” which hails from writer Karyn Usher (“Bones,” “Prison Break”). The potential series, based on the bestselling book trilogy by Lauren Oliver, will center on Roberts’ Lena Holoway, a young woman living in a future where love has been deemed illegal but who nevertheless falls for someone only weeks before a scheduled procedure that will render her permanently incapable of feeling the emotion. Sulkin will play Julien, the son of an influential political leader (Campbell) who supports the brain modification surgery but who nevertheless is beset with conflicted feelings about the procedure. [Deadline]
– Nestor Serrano (“Blue Bloods,” “Act of Valor”) has joined up with CBS drama pilot “The Ordained,” about a priest who abandons his life as a man of the cloth in order to join the law firm of a former politician who he suspects may be behind a plot to have his politician sister assassinated. Serrano will play the latter role in the pilot, which was written by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and will be directed by RJ Cutler (“Nashville”). [Deadline]
– Raza Jaffrey (“Smash”) has booked a role in the ABC drama pilot “Gothica,” a Matt Lopez-penned “gothic soap” that weaves together the mythologies of several literary monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and Jekyll & Hyde. Jaffrey, the first to be cast in the project, will star as Harker, a police detective in the titular city whose quest for the “truth” is constantly assailed by political pressure from outside forces. Anand Tucker (“Leap Year,” “Shopgirl”) will direct the pilot, which has been described as being in the vein of the network’s “Once Upon a Time.” [Deadline]
Thoughts on any of the above? Sound off in the comments.