NBC's Rand Ravich drama has found its leading man.
Following an extensive search, Dermot Mulroney will star in the network's untitled conspiracy thriller from the creator of Life, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013
The drama pilot centers on an unlikely puppeteer who will bring everyone from CEOs to the president of the United States to their knees by threatening the things they hold most dear.
Mulroney, who has been recurring on Fox's New Girl this season, will star as Bill Gibson, the meek-looking man who is a chaperone of the ill-fated private school bus that is mysteriously abducted. He's divorced from his wife and estranged from his daughter, Beth Ann (Stevie Lynn Jones), who is a passenger on the bus and with whom he's anxious to reconnect.
Additionally, Revenge alum Max Martini has joined the cast as Koz, a well-armed and deadly mercenary behind the abduction.
STORY: TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide
Ravich (Life) will pen the pilot and executive produce the 20th Television drama alongside Far Shariat. Phillip Noyce will direct the pilot.Gillian Anderson, Rachael Taylor, Lance Gross, Halston Sage and Joshua Erenberg co-star.
For Mulroney, the casting marks his latest small-screen entry following arcs on both New Girl, HBO's Enlightened and Friends. Should the pilot move to series, it would mark his first as a regular. Repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman, he next appears in the feature jOBS, due in A[ril, and opposite Julia Roberts in August: Osage County, which is set for November.
Martini, repped by ICM Partners, next appears in Pacific Rim and Captain Phillips. His credits also include The Unit and Saving Private Ryan.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
