TV CASTINGS: Actors Join ‘Alcatraz,’ ‘Wedding Band’ Pilots, ‘Hawaii Five-0′ Series

Nellie Andreeva

Former Heroes co-star Santiago Cabrera has landed the final regular role on Fox’s drama pilot Alcatraz. The project, executive produced by J.J. Abrams, chronicles the efforts of tenacious cop Rebecca (Sarah Jones) and team of FBI agents tracking down a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day. Cabrera, repped by Gersh and Management 360, will play Jimmy, Rebecca’s sweet-natured fiance, an uniform cop. Cabrera is best known for his role on Heroes as comic book artist Isaac Mendez.

Well, this rules Jan Levenson as a potential successor to Michael Scott on NBC’s The Office. Melora Hardin, who has been playing Jan on a recurring basis, has been tapped for a lead role in the TBS pilot The Wedding Band. The hourlong comedy follows a group of guys performing in a wedding band, anchored by 2 lifelong best friends – perennial bachelor Tommy (Brian Austin Green) and Eddie (Peter Cambor), a married father of two. Hardin plays the sassy, demanding and opinionated president of Rutherford Events who hires the band for her events every week.

Former Secret World of Alex Mack star Larisa Oleynik is joining the cast of the freshman drama Hawaii Five-0. On CBS’ reboot of the classic cop show, Oleynik will play Jessica Kaye, an highly educated ex-CIA analyst who goes to Hawaii to assist Five-0 in the pursuit of Steve McGarrett’s arch nemesis, Wo Fat (Iron Chef America‘s Mark Dacascos). Jessica has a personal stake in the manhunt since Wo Fat was responsible for the murder of her fiancé, a well respected CIA field agent. Oleynik’s role is recurring for the remainder of this season, with an option to become a series regular come Season 2. SDB Partners-repped Oleynik, who rose to fame in the mid 1990s as the star of Nickelodeon’s The Secret World of Alex Mack, also recurred on NBC’s 3rd Rock from the Sun. She most recently guest-starred on AMC’s Mad Men.

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Parminder Nagra And Robert Forster Join Fox/J.J. Abrams Pilot ‘Alcatraz’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday December 10, 2010 @ 5:47pm PST
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: ER alumna Parminder Nagra is set for a lead role on Fox’s pilot Alcatraz. Also in negotiations to join in the J.J. Abrams-produced pilot is veteran Robert Forster. The drama project, from Warner Bros. TV, Abrams’ Bad … Read More »

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Two More Board J.J. Abrams’ Pilot ‘Alcatraz’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 1, 2010 @ 6:00am PST
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Following the casting of Lost alum Jorge Garcia in the J.J. Abrams-produced Fox pilot Alcatraz, Abrams has recruited two more actors who have appeared on his previous series – Jonny Coyne and Jason Butler Harner – for the  pilot. … Read More »

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J.J. Abrams’ Fox Pilot ‘Alcatraz’ Casts Lead

Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy) has landed the lead in the J.J. Abrams-produced Fox pilot Alcatraz. The drama project, from Warner Bros. TV and Abrams’ Bad Robot, centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who … Read More »

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Several Television Pilots Land Directors

Nellie Andreeva

Former Dexter director-producer Michael Cuesta, who most recently helmed the pilot for CBS’ cop family drama Blue Bloods, has signed on to direct Showtime’s drama pilot Homeland, a psychological thriller from former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon based on an … Read More »

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‘Alcatraz’ Drama Picked Up To Pilot At Fox

Nellie Andreeva

It’s been a quick greenlight for Alcatraz, the JJ Abrams-produced drama, which landed at Fox with a pilot commitment a week ago. I hear the project, described as “a show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz,” has been picked up to pilot by the … Read More »

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JJ Abrams TV Drama ‘Alcatraz’ Lands At Fox

Nellie Andreeva

The network that gave us Prison Break is heading back to prison. Fox has picked up Alcatraz, the J.J. Abrams produced drama about the San Francisco Bay island. The project, which was written on spec and recently takenRead More »

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