MTV has assembled the young cast of its Carter Covington comedy pilot Faking It.
Wizards of Waverly Place alum Gregg Sulkin will headline the half-hour comedy from the creator of 10 Things I Hate About You, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The comedy revolves around two best friends who will do almost anything to fit in and be popular in high school, including pretending to be something they're not.
Sulkin (Pretty Little Liars) will play Liam, a sexy high school artist who is tolerate, cares about the environment and is good with his hands. Nearly every girl would kill to date him but none have understood him -- until Karma arrives and sees through his art and into his soul.
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American Idol's Katie Stevens will play Karma, an upbeat and optimistic high school sophomore who is sick of spending her Friday nights watching Netflix with her best friend Amy. Convinced they're in danger of falling off the social ladder, Karma is thrilled when she and Amy are invited to the hottest party of the year -- especially because Liam will be there.
Rita Volk (Major Crimes, Rizzoli & Isles) will play Amy, who unlike her longtime best friend, is cynical and a pessimist. She has a strained relationship with her mother and soon-to-be stepsister Lauren, who recently moved into their home.
Bunheads alum Bailey Buntain will portray Lauren, the new girl in school and Amy's stepsister. She's polished and pretty and feels like she should be the most popular girl in school. The character is determined to return their "kumbaya, socialist" high school to its "natural order." But her entitled, elitist attitude pushes everyone away accept her two mousy sidekicks and dumb jock boyfriend.
Michael Willett (United States of Tara) will play Shane, Liam's best friend and the most popular kid at school. The character is openly gay with an androgynous vibe that goes well with his eclectic sense of style. Shane is over-the-top in his drive to keep his high school a tolerant, accepting place.
MTV picked up Faking It (working title) to pilot in July ahead of its presentation at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. The project joins Happyland from Daddy's Girls' Ben Epstein in the works at MTV.
Sulkin is repped by UTA, D2 Management and Bloom Hergott. Stevens is with CAA; Volk is with Ellis Talent Group, Archetype and Stone Meyer; Buntain is with Talent House, New Wave Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson; and Willett is with Amstel Eisenstadt, Luber Roklin and Stone Meyer.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
