Two months after announcing they have picked up the Canadian sci-fi series ‘Orphan Black‘, BBC America has now found someone to play the lead role.

Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany has been tapped to play the role of Sarah, a street-wise orphan with a murky past. After witnessing a woman’s suicide, she decides to assume the woman’s identity as she looks just like her. Sarah soon learns that she and the dead woman are clones and that there are more out there. As she searches for answers, she discovers that clones have been planted with unsuspecting parents to be nurtured in completely different circumstances. She tries to find who created the clones, and quick as  an assassin is killing the clones one by one.

While mostly known for her work on Canadian TV, Maslany has been seen in the film ‘The Vow’ with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams and the film ‘Picture Day’ which recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. She has also appeared on the series ‘Being Erica’ which was aired on the SOAP channel.

Of the announcement, Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America, has said, “Tatiana possesses all the intensity, charm and range that this complex role requires. She has all the makings of a breakout star.”

Filming for the series will commence next month in Toronto. Additional casting should be announced shortly.