Lawrence Bender’s ‘Roswell’ Reboot Casts ‘True Blood’ Alum and 4 More
The CW’s Roswell reboot has added Nathan Parsons, former True Blood cast member, as well as four other cast members.
Based on the book series Roswell High, the original TV series focused on a group of teens that grew up in a New Mexico town. One learns that three of her classmates are aliens who had survived the UFO crash from 1947.
The new series – which is being produced by Julie Plec, Carina Adly MacKenzie, Lawrence Bender, Kevin Kelly Brown and Darryl Frank – ages the characters, but keeps most of the original character names and relationships.
The series will also deal with issues that face society today, including immigration and PTSD. Liz, played by Jeanine Mason, is the daughter of undocumented immigrants and the first woman to learn about the aliens.
Lawrence Bender is known for tackling political issues in his work. The Pulp Fiction producer is also executive producer of the Netflix series Seven Seconds. The series centers on an African American boy who is critically injured by a Caucasian cop, escalating racial tensions.
The Roswell reboot will deal with immigration and literal aliens, some of which humans want returned to their home.
Five other roles have been cast, according to Deadline, with three aliens – Max, Michael and Isobel – and two humans – Maria and Alex. In the original TV series, these roles were played by Katherine Heigl, Jason Behr, Colin Hanks, Brenden Fehr and Majandra Delfino.
Nathan Parsons, who also played Jackson Kenner on The Originals series and was recently cast for a recurring role on Once Upon a Time, will play Max. Lily Cowles will play Isobel; Michael Vlamis will play Michael; and Heather Hemmens has been cast as Maria. Hemmens was a star of Hellcats and a few episodes of The Vampire Diaries. Alex will be played by Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars star.
EW also reports that Michael Trevino, former cast member of Vampire Diaries, has also joined the reboot. Trevino will reportedly play Kyle Valenti, originally played by Nick Wechsler, who is the son of the local sheriff.
Character Max, played by Parsons, is a dedicated police officer who has been keeping a secret: he’s an alien. Isobel, played by Cowles, isn’t meant for small-town living, but she lives her life with grace to keep her true origin a secret.
Michael, played by Vlamis, survived a violent childhood and is looking for a way to escape Earth to return to the other-worldly home he’s never known.
Maria, played by Hemmens, is fun and free-spirited, and the best friend of Liz. Sgt. Alex Manes, played by Blackburn, has returned from the Middle East after experiencing a fair share of physical and mental trauma. He struggles to adhere to his father’s expectations, leaving his dreams behind and his hopes of a future with a man he loves.
Parsons is repped by Innovative Artists and Creative Partners Group. Blackburn is repped by Gersh and Lichter Grossman. Cowls is with Industry Entertainment, and Vlamis is repped by CAA and Grandview. Hemmens is with APA and Primary Wave Entertainment.
Author: Jacob Maslow