Carla Gugino will star in Showtime‘s “Roadies” pilot, replacing Christina Hendricks, Variety has confirmed.
The recasting marks a major redevelopment on the pilot, as creator Cameron Crowe is in the process of rewriting the original, and the role Gugino is filling has been entirely reconceived. Insiders say that the cabler is very excited about the high-profile project, which also has J.J. Abrams attached as an exec producer.
“Roadies” follows the lives of the road and tech crew of a rock band on tour. Gugino will play Shelli, the band’s tough and ingenious production manager who is the right hand to the group’s tour manager, played by Luke Wilson. Though she replaces the “Mad Men” alum, the recast is a reflection of a revamp of the character.
Crowe penned the one-hour pilot, hailing from Warner Bros. TV and Abrams’ Bad Robot banner, and will serve as director. He will also exec produce with Abrams, Bryan Burk and Winnie Holzman, who is showrunner.
In addition to Gugino and Wilson, the cast is rounded out by Imogene Poots, Rafe Spall, Peter Cambor, Keisha Castle-Hughes and guest stars Luis Guzman and Finesse Mitchell.
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Gugino is in demand as of late, recurring on HBO’s “The Brink,” and coming off of box office hit “San Andreas,” opposite Dwayne Johnson, plus Fox’s “Wayward Pines.”
Up next for Hendricks is Sundance TV’s “Hap and Leonard.” She is currently on Comedy Central’s comedy “Another Period.”
Gugino is repped by CAA and Untitled.
