There are some updates to the cast of FX’s adaptation of the long-running comicbook series.
FX announced that the first contract has been solidified for a regular Powers cast member as Emmy Award winner Charles S. Dutton has signed on for the part of Captain Cross, the leader of the Powers Investigation Unit, which the protagonists work for.
The police captain is one of the most important supporting roles in a crime procedural drama, so it’s good that they found someone with talent to take on the role.
We’ve also got word that Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame is in talks to take the co-lead role of Detective Christian Walker, though he’s waiting for a finalized version of the pilot script to make a commitment.
Not sure I’m as happy with this decision as I am with Dutton. Chandler is tall and cut enough perhaps, but the character of walker is very Superheroy-looking (for lack of better description) and Chandler just doesn’t seem to fit the part.
The current front-runner for the co-lead part of Deena Pilgrim currently belongs to Katie Sackhoff, which would be the most perfect fit ever. Unfortunately she’s already signed on for one show planned for the same pilot window, and doing two shows at the same time would be a lot to ask of most actors.
Powers is a comic book series which centers on a pair of detectives in a special division which investigates superhero oriented crimes.
One detective is a former strongman hero, who has lost his powers, but retains his deep understanding of the superhero community. The other is a young woman who has only just discovered her own secret superpowers.
As with most such stories the greatness is in the dynamic between the protagonists, as they explore the story, and as the audience explores the implications of a world full of superheroes from the outside.
The series has been running steady, though under a couple different headers, since 2000, and so has a deep store of storyline to draw on.
Powers is planned for the 2012 Pilot group, and if picked up will air that fall.
