TV Show Casting

TV Casting: THE PURGE, TITANS, James Marsden & Others May Join THE STAND, & More

Whoopi Goldberg James Marsden Amber Heard

TV Show Casting for The Purge, Titans, The Stand, and More

The Purge, Titans, The Stand, and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on: ABC, The CW, Netflix, Fox, NBC, DC Universe, Showtime, HBO, Hulu, TNT, YouTube Premium, CBS, CBS All Access, Apple TV+, Epix, Hulu, Paramount Network, and Amazon Prime. Beware of spoilers in these casting announcements.

CBS All Access

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The Stand

James Marsden is in negotiations to play Stu Redman, “a Texan who is the first man discovered to be immune to the Captain Trips virus that has ravaged the planet. He eventually becomes a leader in a community known as the Free Zone and is tasked with confronting the evil Randall Flagg.”

Amber Heard is in negotiations to play Nadine Cross, “a private school teacher and a virgin who believes she has a unique destiny to be by Flagg’s side.”

Whoopi Goldberg is in negotiations to play Mother Abagail, “who is immune to the superflu and leads the ‘good’ survivors of the plague toward Boulder, Colorado. She also claims to be a prophet of God. Ruby Dee originated the character in the miniseries.”

Greg Kinnear is in negotiations to play Glen Bateman, “an arthritis-afflicted professor who joins Stu on his journey to meet Mother Abagail.”

Odessa Young is in advanced negotiations to play Frannie Goldsmith, a pregnant woman who leaves her devastated community with a man named Harold Lauder, but ends up falling in love with Stu, much to Harold’s chagrin.

Henry Zaga has been cast as Nick Andros, a young, deaf-mute grifter who wears an eye patch for most of King’s book.

The Stand‘s plot synopsis: based the book by Stephen King, The Stand deals with the way “the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after, a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides — or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail — and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.”

Josh Boone and Ben Cavellare writing the screenplays for the TV series.

USA Network

The Purge

Derek Luke has been cast as Marcus Moore, “an accomplished professional with a loving wife and a beautiful house whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when an assassin breaks into his house on Purge night.”

Max Martini has been cast as Ryan Grant. “Unassuming yet laser-focused, Ryan spends his entire year precisely preparing for a massive once-a-year Purge heist with his long-time crew.”

Paola Nuñez has been cast as Esme Carmona. “A top employee at an NFFA surveillance center, Esme has dedicated her life to spotting crimes and digitally tagging lawbreakers.”

Joel Allen has been cast as Ben. “A clean-cut, fraternity member from a middle-class suburban family, Ben’s life changes forever when he goes out on Purge night for the first time.”

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The Purge‘s plot synopsis: “Based on the movie franchise, the series revolves around a 12-hour period when all crime, including murder, is legal. Set in an altered America ruled by a totalitarian political party.”

Brave New World

Demi Moore has been cast as Linda, “the hard-living and brash mother to Ehrenreich’s John [the Savage].”

Jessica Brown Findlay has been cast as Lenina Crowne, “a Beta Plus Hatchery worker who questions her social class in the harmonious New World who sets off on a vacation with Lloyd’s Bernard Marx to the Savage Lands, which is in the middle of a violent rebellion and is rescued and escorted back to New London by…John the Savage, whose presence threatens to upend the society.”

Harry Lloyd has been cast as Bernard Marx, an Alpha Plus who works as a counselor for The Bureau of Stability, administering Soma to the citizens of New London.

Brave New World‘s plot synopsis: “Hundreds of years in the future, the World Controllers have created an ideal civilization. Its members, shaped by genetic engineering and behavioral conditioning, are productive and content in roles they have been assigned at conception. Government-sanctioned drugs and recreational sex ensure that everyone is a happy, unquestioning consumer; messy emotions have been anesthetized and private attachments are considered obscene. Only Bernard Marx is discontented, developing an unnatural desire for solitude and a distaste for compulsory promiscuity. When he brings back a young man from one of the few remaining Savage Reservations, where the old unenlightened ways still continue, he unleashes a dramatic clash of cultures that will force him to consider whether freedom, dignity, and individuality are worth suffering for.”

This actress joins already cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Kylie Bunburry, Hannah John-Kamen, Sen Mitsuji, Joseph Morgan, and Nina Sosanya.

David Wiener, Grant Morrison, and Brian Taylor wrote the screenplays for the TV series.

Owen Harris is directing the pilot episode.

Shudder

Creepshow

Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Davison, DJ Qualls, Kid Cudi, and Big Boi have been cast in unspecified roles.

These actresses and actor join already cast: Tricia Helfer, David Arquette, Dana Gould, Adrianne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tobin Bell.

Creepshow‘s episode titles and plot synopses:

“All Hallows Eve”: Even then they’re a little too old, this group of friends still want to trick-or-treat but getting candy isn’t all they are looking for.

“Bad Wolf Down”: A group of American soldiers, trapped behind enemy lines during World War II, finds an unconventional way to even the odds.

“By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain,”: Her dad died looking for the monster living at the bottom of Lake Champlain, and now, will she?

“The Companion”: A young boy, bullied by his older brother, sneaks into an abandoned farm that is protected by a supernatural force.

“The Finger”: An unhappy man discovers a severed, inhuman appendage on the street and brings it home, where it grows into a loyal companion with some deadly quirks.

“Gray Matter”: Doc and Chief, two old-timers in a small, dying town, brave a storm to check on Richie, an alcoholic single father, after encountering his terrified son at the local convenience store. The story, first published in 1973, is part of King’s best-selling 1978 collection, Night Shift.

“The House of the Head”: Evie’s discovers her new dollhouse might be haunted.

“Lydia Layne’s Better Half”: A powerful woman denies a promotion to her protégée and lover but fails to anticipate the fallout.

“The Man in the Suitcase”: A college student brings the wrong bag home from the airport only to find a pretzeled man trapped inside, afflicted by a strange condition that turns his pain into gold.

“Night of the Paw”: A lonely mortician finds company in the ultimate ‘be careful what you wish for’ story.

“Skincrawlers”: A man considers a miraculous new treatment for weight loss that turns out to have unexpected complications.

“Times is Tough in Musky Holler”: Leaders who once controlled a town through fear and intimidation get a taste of their own medicine.

Bruce Jones, Rob Schrab, Matt Venne, David J. Schow, Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi, Josh Malerman, John Harrison, John Esposito, Paul Dini, Stephen Langford wrote the screenplays for the series.

Tom Savini, John Harrison, Rob Schrab, Dave Bruckner, Greg Nicotero, John Harrison, and Roxanne Benjamin will direct the episodes of the series.

National Geographic

The Right Stuff

Eric Ladin has been cast as Chris Kraft, a “critical member…of NASA’s Space Task group, charged by President Dwight Eisenhower with putting a man into space.”

Patrick Fischler has been cast as Bob Gilruth, “a soft-spoken rocket scientist who is the partner of the more brash Chris Kraft…a critical member…of NASA’s Space Task group, charged by President Dwight Eisenhower with putting a man into space.”

Nora Zehetner has been cast as Annie Glenn, “the wife of John Glenn, who has known, and loved, her husband since childhood (and they’ve never been apart).”

Eloise Mumford has been cast as Trudy Cooper, “the wife of Gordo Cooper, a woman of poise and confidence, able to command attention without saying a word.”

Shannon Lucio has been cast as Louise Shepard, “the wife of Alan Shepard.”

Josh Cooke has been cast as Loudon Wainwright Jr., “LIFE Magazine’s star reporter, tasked with writing the biographies of all seven astronauts and has the keenest look at what’s really transpiring.”

These actresses and actors join already cast: Patrick J. Adams, Jake McDorman, Joe Dempsie, Aaron Staton, Michael Trotter, Micah Stock, and James Lafferty.

The Right Stuff‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by Tom Wolfe, “The first season of The Right Stuff, which uses Wolfe’s book as its jumping-off point, starts at the height of the Cold War. To combat a national sentiment of fear and decline, the U.S. government conceives of NASA’s Project Mercury, igniting a space race with the Soviets and making instant celebrities of a handful of the military’s adrenaline-fueled test pilots. These individuals, who come to be known as the Mercury Seven, are forged into heroes long before they have achieved a single heroic act. At the heart of a historic drama populated by deeply human characters, archrivals Glenn and Shepard jockey to become the first man in space.”

FX

Gone Hollywood

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast as Jack DeVoe.

Jonathan Pryce as been cast as Benny Landau.

John Magaro has been cast as Eli Zeller.

Lola Kirke has been cast as Abbie Jinks.

Ben Schnetzer has been cast as Robbie Riese.

Judd Hirsch has been cast as Lev Kertzman.

Gone Hollywood‘s plot synopsis: “centers on a group of talent agents who defect from an old-guard percentery to found their own, which skyrockets to industry dominance, disrupting the business and changing movies forever. The show will mix its fictional protagonists with real-life entertainment figures and events.”

Ted Griffin is writing the screenplays for the series and will direct the pilot episode.

Hulu

Runaways

Elizabeth Hurley has been cast as Morgan le Fay. “A student of Merlin, Morgan le Fay is considered the greatest sorceress of all time. With a black crow as her familiar and the ability to enchant objects, manipulate mystic energy and astral project, she is powerful and intelligent with a cut-throat wit.”

DC Universe

Titans

Natalie Gumede has been cast as Mercy Graves, “the ruthless, cunning, right hand and bodyguard to the notorious Lex Luthor — serving her boss with unquestioned loyalty. Her connection to the Luthors runs deep, as Mercy has been a friend of the family and in Lex’s life since they were young.”

This actor joins already cast: Iain Glen, Chella Man, Esai Morales, Joshua Orpin, Brenton Thwaites, Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Alan Ritchson, and Minka Kelly.

Leave your thoughts on this TV show casting news (via Yahoo, Variety, Collider, Deadline) below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more TV show casting can visit our TV Show Casting Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, TwitterFacebook, and Tumblr.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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