Ryan Phillippe just finished headlining three seasons of USA’s action-drama ‘Shooter’, and now he’s hoping to step into another TV series, CBS’ pilot for ‘Alive’, a cop show with a paranormal twist, taking inspiration from Mary Shelley’s classic monster novel, ‘Frankenstein’. Phillippe will portray the show’s lead, Mark Escher, a San Francisco homicide detective who is killed in the line of duty.
[The detective] is mysteriously brought back to life after being killed in the line of duty. But as he resumes his old life and he and his wife realize he isn’t the same person he used to be, they zero in on the strange man behind his resurrection – Dr. Victor Frankenstein.
‘Alive’ was concocted by writer Jason Tracey, who previously delivered CBS’ hit ‘Elementary’ based on another classic literary figure, Sherlock Holmes, as well as USA’s ‘Burn Notice’. ‘Elementary’ showrunner Rob Doherty is attached to executive produce. Uta Briesewitz (‘Hung) will direct the pilot. This project was previously known as ‘Frankenstein’.
Katrina Law, who played Nyssa al Ghul on ‘Arrow’, has been cast as Mark’s wife Elizabeth Lavenza
A pathologist/medical examiner who is stunned when her husband returns from the dead. Although she is thrilled to have him back, she knows there’s a secret behind his resurrection and new personality — and she thinks she knows exactly who’s responsible.
That would be Elizabeth’s ex, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who is described as being “brilliant, slightly odd and possibly obsessed” and is on the run from the ethics board of China. Aaron Staton will portray Dr. Frankenstein.
Saidah Arrika Ekulona (‘The Haunting of Hill House’) was previously announced as having been cast as Mark’s boss, Captain Mills, “who is in charge at a crime scene and everywhere she goes. Intelligent, decisive, tough but not without compassion or humor.”
Prior to ‘Shooter’, Phillippe starred on another crime drama ABC’s ‘Secrets and Lies’, and on the last season of FX’s ‘Damages’. And although he has worked extensively on TV and in films like ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’, ‘Flags of our Fathers’, and ‘MacGruber, for fans of a certain age, he will always be remembered as a millennium-era teen heartthrob who starred in ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ and ‘Cruel Intentions’.
In addition to appearing as Nyssa on ‘Arrow’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, Law starred on Crackle’s ‘The Oath’, Facebook Watch’s ‘Sacred Lies’, and Starz’s ‘Spartacus’. She was also previously a series regular on another CBS cop show ‘Training Day’.
Stanton may be best recognized for playing Ken Cosgrove on ‘Mad Men’, but he has since starred stayed busy on ‘Ray Donovan’, ‘My Mother and Other Strangers’, ‘Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce’, ‘Castle Rock’, and ‘Narcos: Mexico’. He was most recently seen in a guest role on ‘God Friended Me’.
So far, CBS has only ordered a pilot for ‘Alive’, but check back for progress and news as to whether it gets ordered to series.
Source: TV Line
