TV Casting: FIRST WIVES CLUB, THE ACT, Crystal Reed & Maria Sten in SWAMP THING, & More

First Wives Club, The Act, Swamp Thing, and other TV Show Casting

First Wives Club, The Act, Swamp Thing, and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on: DC Universe, Paramount Network, Hulu, Fox, Own, and Netflix. Beware of spoilers in these casting announcements.

Swamp Thing (DC Universe)

Crystal Reed has been cast as Abby Arcane, “Arcane will be a CDC doctor  whose strong sense of empathy puts her at the center of a horrific life-threatening epidemic in her hometown where she faces emotional demons from her past… while a chance meeting with scientist Alec Holland takes her into a world of horror and the supernatural, and of the elemental creature known as Swamp Thing.”

Maria Sten has been cast as Liz Tremayne, “a close childhood friend of Abby Arcane’s (Reed), who splits her time between reporting for the local paper and bartending at her aging father’s roadhouse bar. Her no-nonsense attitude belies a deep compassion for her friends and family as she sets out in her uncompromising quest to expose the secrets that threaten her beloved hometown.”

Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman will write the screenplays for the series.

Len Wiseman will direct the pilot episode.

The TV series will premiere in 2019.

Doom Patrol (DC Universe)

Timothy Dalton has been cast as The Chief, the leader of the Doom Patrol.

This actor joins already cast Alan Tudyk, Brendan Fraser, Joivan Wade, April Bowlby, Bruno Bichir, Jack Michaels, and Dwain Murphy.

Doom Patrol‘s plot synopsis: “Doom Patrol is a re-imagining of one of DC’s most beloved group of outcast Super Heroes: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl (Bowlby), and Crazy Jane, led by modern-day mad scientist Dr. Niles Caulder (The Chief). The Doom Patrol’s members each suffered horrible accidents that gave them superhuman abilities – but also left them scarred and disfigured. Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found purpose through The Chief, who brought them together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence — and to protect Earth from what they find.

Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of super-powered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them. Picking up after the events of Titans, Doom Patrol will find these reluctant heroes in a place they never expected to be, called to action by none other than Cyborg, who comes to them with a mission hard to refuse, but with warning that is hard to ignore: their lives will never, ever be the same.”

Jeremy Carver is writing the series.

First Wives Club (Paramount Network)

Ryan Michelle Bathe has been cast as Ari, “a stylish and confident type-A attorney. She was supposed to make partner but sidestepped her career to support her husband’s political ambitions and also in order to raise their two kids. When a crisis reunites her with her best friends from college, she will use her legal skills to help them reclaim their independence and rekindle the camaraderie of their college glory days.”

This actress joins already cast: Jill Scott and Michelle Buteau.

First Wives Club‘s plot synopsis: based on the novel by Olivia Goldsmith, based in New York City, the series will follow the story of three women: Ari (Bathe); Bree (Buteau), a music superstar who has faded from the limelight; and Hazel (Scott) a overwhelmed mom and doctor who hasn’t let loose in years. They will band together after their marriages fall apart while finding strength in their sisterhood and of course a little revenge.

Tracy Oliver will write the screenplays for the series.

First Wives Club will begin airing on Paramount Network in January 2019.

The Act (Hulu)

Joey King has been cast as Gypsy Blanchard, “a young woman trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother, Dee Dee (Arquette). Her quest for independence opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, one that ultimately leads to murder.

Confined to a wheelchair but cheerful and gracious, Gypsy is everyone’s idea of the perfect sick child. Her overprotective mother, Dee Dee, has always been by her side. But as Gypsy’s sexuality comes into full bloom, she finds herself forced to rebel against her mother’s protectiveness, which has turned controlling and oppressive…”

This actress joins already cast Patricia Arquette.

Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean wrote the screenplays for this anthology TV series.

Empire (Fox)

Mario has been cast as Devon, an “earnest, up-and-coming R&B singer who supports his ailing sister.” Both the Empire label and Lyon Family Management are vying against each other to sign him.

This actor joins already cast: Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Jussie Smollett, Bryshere “Yazz” Gray, Trai Byers, Grace Byers, Gabourey Sidibe, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Serayah, Xzibit, Rumer Willis, Andre Royo, and Terrell Carter.

Empire: Season Five will premiere on Fox on September 26, 2018.

What/If (Netflix)

Samantha Ware has been cast as Angela.

Juan Castano has been cast as Marcos.

Keith Powers has been cast as Todd.

Saamer Usmani has been cast as Avery.

This actress joins already cast Blake Jenner, Jane Levy, and Renée Zellweger.

What/If‘s plot synopsis: “What/If explores the ripple effects of what happens when acceptable people start doing unacceptable things. Each season will tackle a different morality tale inspired by culturally consequential source material, and the power of a single fateful decision to change the trajectory of an entire life.”

Mike Kelley is writing the streaming TV series directed by Phillip Noyce.

The Haves And the Have Nots (OWN)

Geoffrey Owens has been cast in an unspecified role.

Another Life (Netflix)

A. J. Rivera has been cast as Bernie Martinez, “the Salvare’s microbiologist and part-time chef. He is an understated super-brain with a crazy green thumb and an ability to turn even the most cardboard-tasting MRE into something you’d get in a Michelin-rated restaurant. That, plus his barrage of jokes is a form of currency on The Salvare.”

Alexander Eling has been cast as Javier Almanzar, “a former hacker on board The Salvare as an expert in computer engineering. He doesn’t pull punches and, though he doesn’t say a lot, he always speaks his mind. Quick to perceive offense, this quality reveals his tendency to wear his impoverished childhood like a badge.”

Alex Ozerov has been cast as Oliver Sokolov, “one of The Salvare’s engineers. His family fled the floods of one of the world’s many water cities and – untethered on land – he’s discovered and built an entire life online. But what happens when he’s forced to live in reality, gazillions of miles away from the Earth?”

Jake Abel has been cast as Sasha Harrison, “the son of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Sasha grew up in wealth, enjoying every luxury. He never wanted to go into space, but finds himself on The Salvare as the government’s representative and diplomatic liaison. With any luck, the PR from this mission will fast-track his political career and help land him in the Oval Office one day.”

JayR Tinaco has been cast as Zayn Petrossian, “the ship’s medic, and since in the future medicine is a whole lot more holistic than it is now, Zayn is also the ship’s shrink. Zayn is extremely logical, intuitive, and curious. As chief medic, Zayn must confront her worst fears of losing those people Zayn’s grown closest to.”

Jessica Camacho has been cast as Michelle Vargas, who “says it like it is, which you think would help her in her job as The Salvare’s communications expert. The problem is, she’s aggressive, she complains a whole lot, and she can rub people the wrong way. She’s also exciting to be around, because you never quite know what’s going to come out of her mouth.”

Barbara Williams has been cast as General Blair Dubois, who “is a General with the United States Interstellar Command, in charge of United States’ response to the Artifact. She is career military, with years of combat experience. If she was younger, she might well have been leading The Salvare mission, rather than leading the teams on the ground. All the scientists around her may be in awe of the Artifact, but she is preparing for the best and expecting the worst.”

Lina Renna has been cast as Jana Breckinridge-Wallace, who “is a wonderful mix of both her parents, Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff) and Erik Wallace (Chatwin) – adventurous and brave, intelligent and curious. She struggles to find normalcy at home with one parent in space and in perpetual danger.”

These actors and actresses join previously announced: Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Tyler Hoechlin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, and Blu Hunt.

Another Life‘s plot synopsis: “Another Life centers on astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff) who is focused on searching for alien intelligence. She leads a crew on a mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact. As Niko and her young crew investigate, they face unimaginable danger on what might very well be a one-way mission.”

Aaron Martin created and will write the screenplays for the series.

The Witcher (Netflix)

Henry Cavill has been cast as Geralt of Rivia, “a solitary monster hunter, as he struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”

Alik Sakharov, Alex Garcia Lopez, and Charlotte Brändström will each be directing episodes in the first season.

Leave your thoughts on this First Wives Club, The Act, Swamp Thing, and other TV Casting (via Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline) below in the comments section. Readers seeking more TV show news can visit our TV Show News Page, our TV Show News Google+ Page, and our TV Show News Facebook. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.