Author: Lesley Goldberg, Philiana Ng

AP Images/Invision

James Marsden

James Marsden is heading to HBO.

The X-Men star has landed a lead role in the dark drama pilot Westworld, inspired by Michael Crichton‘s 1973 film, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The project is billed as a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin.

Marsden will play Teddy Flood, a mysterious new arrival to a small frontier town. He quickly proves both his charm — and his talent with a revolver. His pursuit of a local beauty launches him on a dark odyssey. Marsden recently starred in Anchorman 2, The Butler and 2 Guns, appeared on 30 Rock and Modern Family and next toplines the Nicholas Sparks big-screen adaptation Best of Me, D-Train and Business Trip. Marsden is repped by WME and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.

Eddie Rouse (Pandorum, American Gangster) has also joined as “Kissy,” short for Kisecawchuck, the laconic American-Indian card — and contraband — dealer from the town saloon, making him an expert in games both on and off the card table.

Other new additions include Demetrius Grosse (Justified), Kyle Bornheimer (She’s Out of My League, Bachelorette), Currie Graham (Murder in the First), Lena Georgas (Ray Donovan), Steven Ogg (Grand Theft Auto V) and Timothy Lee DePriest.

They join the already-cast Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Angela Sarafyan and Simon Quarterman.

J.J. Abrams will executive produce alongside veteran producer Jerry Weintraub and Bad Robot’s Bryan Burk. Person of Interest‘s Jonathan Nolan, who co-wrote the pilot, will executive produce and direct as well. Lisa Joy co-wrote the pilot and will exec produce. Kathy Lingg will co-EP and Athena Wickham is a producer on the Warner Bros. Television drama. David Coatsworth is set as a co-EP and line producer, with Susie Ekins set as a co-producer. 

Westworld hails from Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions and Kilter Films.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com; Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit; @insidethetube

Courtesy of Subject

Yvette Nicole Brown

A Community star is graduating to The Odd Couple.

Yvette Nicole Brown has joined the cast of CBS’ update toplined by Matthew Perry as part of a significant retooling, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The Odd Couple is a modern retelling of the unlikely friendship of two roommates, the disheveled Oscar Madison (Perry) and nerdy Felix Unger (Thomas Lennon), based on Neil Simon‘s Broadway play.

Brown, who will also continue starring in the Yahoo Screen-revived Community, will now play Oscar’s assistant Dani, a role vacated by Go On‘s Sarah Baker as part of a recasting key female parts. Georgia King, who was originally cast as a fellow resident in Oscar and Felix’s apartment building, also exited. Lindsay Sloane and Wendell Pierce remain on board.

As for Brown’s character, Dani is described as someone who spends most of her workday on the phone, apologizing to assorted high and mighty people who have been offended by his latest splenetic rant. A woman of tact and polish — two concepts that never enter into Oscar’s bullheaded professional life — Dani has one or two little issues that make her a less than ideal employee: She has no short-term memory and can’t even remember to write down notes to herself.

Perry will pen the script with Joe Keenan (Glee, Frasier). The Friends alum will also executive produce the CBS Television Studios comedy alongside Timberman-Beverly’s Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman as well as The Tannenbaum Co.’s Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and Bob Daily.

Brown is repped by Innovative Artists and Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano.

Production on the sixth season of Community is not expected to start up again for at least several months, so scheduling between the two shows should not be an immediate issue as The Odd Couple begins filming next week. Creator Dan Harmon hinted at Comic-Con that the writers’ room for Community would not begin until the fall, saying vaguely that the 13 episodes — to be rolled out weekly — will likely launch some time after Christmas.

The Odd Couple is expected to debut midseason on CBS.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com; Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit; @insidethetube

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Marti Noxon

ABC has ordered three more drama pilots.

The network has picked up three one-hour drama pilots centered on a hotshot medical examiner and another based on a Scandanavian format, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. ABC has also picked up alien project The Visitors, from Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Entertainment.

From executive producer Matt Miller (Chuck), Forever centers on Dr. Henry Morgan, New York City’s best medical examiner, but what no one knows is Henry studies the dead for a reason — he is immortal. With the help of Detective Jo Martinez, the layers will be peeled back on Henry’s colorful and long life through the cases.

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Miller penned the pilot, with Lin Pictures’ Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz executive producing. Warner Bros. TV produces.

Exposed, based on a Scandinavian format, follows an investigative journalist who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth — including making questionable alliances. Love & Other Drugs screenwriter Charles Randolph will pen the Universal TV project, with executive producers Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan.

For ABC, Exposed marks the network’s latest remake to garner a pilot order this season under network topper Paul Lee. It joins An American Education (based on the British comedy Bad Education), Irreversible (based on the Israeli series Bilti Hafich), Strange Calls (based on the Australian series) and dramas Sea of Fire (based on the Dutch format Vuurzee) and Secrets & Lies, a drama series based on the upcoming Australian entry of the same name.

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ABC has also added drama pilot The Visitors, from Amblin Television. Based on a Ray Bradbury short story called Zero Hour, the drama hails from Marti Noxon and Dawn Olmstead‘s Grady Twins banner. Soo Hugh (Under the Dome, The River) will pen the script for the ABC Studios entry, which landed at the network with a script commitment in November.
 
Hugh will executive produce the drama that is described as a race against the clock to defeat an unseen alien enemy out to destroy the world by using the Earth’s most precious resource: children. Amblin TV’s Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank — who also oversee Under the Dome — will executive produce the drama, marking a reunion for them with Hugh.

The drama brings Amblin back into the ABC fold after the network canceled freshman drama Lucky 7. The company also produced ABC’s short-lived scripted found-footage drama The River. Amblin most recently secured a pilot order at TNT for a cop drama starring Ed Burns. The banner also produces FX’s The Americans, TNT’s Falling Skies and CBS’ upcoming Halle Berry summer space drama Extant.

The three drama pilots join six other hourlong efforts in the works at ABC for the 2014-15 season. In addition to straight-to-series orders for Secrets & Lies and an untitled entry from David O. Russell, ABC also has drama pilots American Crime (from 12 Years a Slave’s John Ridley), Clementine, How to Get Away With Murder and Sea of Fire in the works.