Ronald D. Moore‘s untitled science fiction space series which he is developing for Apple TV has added two more cast members, Shantel VanSanten and Wrenn Schmidt. They join Joel Kinnaman, Sarah Jones, Michael Dorman and Noah Harpster. Moore is best known for creating the modern remake of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘Outlander’. Before that, he worked extensively on the ‘Star Trek’ TV franchise.
On the new series, which appears to be a period piece depicting the early days of the space race, Kinnaman portrays NASA astronaut Edward Baldwin. Not much else is known, but Shantel VanSanten will portray his wife Karen Baldwin. The characters are described as a “prominent NASA couple.” That same term was used to describe the characters Gordo and Tracy Stevens, who will be portrayed by Dorman and Jones.
VanSanten comes aboard following the recent cancellation of her USA series ‘Shooter’. She previously played Patty Spivot on ‘The Flash’ and Vera Buckly on ‘The Messengers’. She has also made appearances on ‘Scorpion’, ‘Timeless‘, ‘Rush Hour’ and much more.
Wrenn Schmidt’s character will be a NASA engineer named Margo Madison. Schmidt appeared in this year’s Hulu miniseries ‘The Looming Tower’. Prior to that, she played Megan Holter on the Cinemax series ‘The Outcast’ based on the supernatural comic book series by Robert Kirkman. She has also had ongoing roles on ‘Person of Interest’, ‘Tyrant’, ‘The Americans’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’.
Noah Harpster, who was a writer, producer and actor on Amazon’s acclaimed ‘Transparent’ has also been cast in an undisclosed role. After ‘Transparent’, he went on to star in another Amazon series, ‘One Mississippi’. He also wrote, produced and acted in the upcoming Mister Rogers biopic ‘You Are My Friend’ starring Tom Hanks, with Chris Cooper and Matthew Rhys. Harpster also contributed to the script for ‘Maleficent 2’.
Very little is known about Moore’s new project. Although it has been described as “science fiction,” the fact that it (possibly) focuses on the early days of the space race, may indicate that this is a more reality-based drama. With a cast rapidly coming together, other details… like the show’s name, might be revealed soon.
Last year, Apple announced that it was moving into the realm of original programming. Although it has touted some ambitious projects, like a big budget reboot of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Amazing Stories’, David S. Goyer’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ and possibly a revival of Terry Gilliam’s ‘Time Bandits’, Apple stresses that it is not attempting to compete on the same playing field as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and the rest of the streaming services out there. But included among their plans were a new series from proven hit-maker Moore, returning to outer space, the locale on which he built his career.
Check back for details as they emerge.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
