Jake McLaughlin (Quantico) and Iantha Richardson (American Soul) have been cast as leads in the “Will Trent” drama pilot at ABC. They will star opposite Ramón Rodríguez and Erika Christensen (Parenthood). Rodríguez will also serve as a producer in addition to starring. 20th Television is developing the project based on Karin Slaughter’s best-selling “Will Trent” novel series for ABC.
The series focuses on Special Agent Will Trent (Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI), who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming of age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one feels as abandoned as he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
According to Deadline:
McLaughlin will play Michael, raised upper-middle class in the Atlanta suburbs, served overseas in the Army until an injury sent him home, where he’s now a Detective with the APD. He has the vibe of a man who grew up watching tough-guy, anti-hero cops and is now excited to be one himself. Michael has a wife and kid at home, but you’d never know it by talking to him.
Richardson portrays Faith, Will’s partner. Faith was born into a law enforcement family, is armed with wicked wit, always considered herself one of the boys, then got pregnant at 14, but now she’s pulled her life together to become a Detective. Faith’s new assignment with Will is going to be her biggest challenge yet, but she’s up for it, and she knows it could be a shortcut to becoming one of the top agents at the GBI.
The show is being developed by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen, who previously worked together on The Big Leap and Fox’s The Passage. They will also serve as executive producers on the series along with Slaughter. Heldens and Thomsen have written the pilot episode.
McLaughlin is best known for starring in the hit drama series Quantico, which aired for three seasons on ABC, and also starred in NBC’s Believe.
Richardson was most recently seen as a series regular in American Soul, and recurring in Freeform’s Good Trouble and NBC’s This Is Us.
The first book in the “Will Trent” novel series titled “Triptych,” was published in 2006. There are currently a total of 10 books in the series with the most recent being “The Silent Wife,” which was published in 2020.
If “Will Trent” receives a series order, we expect to see the show arrive on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.
Source: Deadline