Casting has begun for the dystopian fantasy serial retooling.
As typically happens when a story goes supernova, all of entertainment media gets rife with variations on the plot of the exploding story. Of course, it’s usually a string of very misguided efforts, but it hits the zeitgeist hard, nonetheless, and usually even sells pretty well.
Kiera Cass’ novel, The Selection, is about a poor young woman who is volunteered for a great honor: The privilege to compete in a deadly contest for the hand of the kingdom’s prince. The story takes place in a dystopian world three-hundred years into our future, after society has collapsed, and been replaced with a strangely ruled monarchy. Of course, there are love triangles and melodramatic decisions along the way.
There is a video trailer for the book over on Amazon if you want to check it out.
It was over a year ago that The CW announced that they were looking into producing The Selection as a serial. A pilot was made, starring Sean Patrick Thomas and Peta Sergeant, but The CW decided not to go ahead with the project, and we were left thinking that was the end.
Now, the pilot is back in development with The Vampire Diaries‘ Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain rewriting the episode and serving as exec. producers while Alex Graves directs. Thomas and Sergeant are still in the lead roles, but other roles have been filled by Celia Massingham and Lucien Laviscount.
Most recently, the showrunners have cast Anthony Head – a CW veteran, having played Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer – as King Clarkson, who presides over the strange process. He replaces Martin Donovan in the role.
The retooled pilot for The Selection is still in development, and will likely enter consideration in the spring for a possible fall 2014 airing.
