Once he’s finished the long tour slog promoting Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro will be throwing himself into directing the TV pilot based on The Strain, the book trilogy he co-created with Chuck Hogan. Now the man overseeing the show, Lost veteran Carlton Cuse, has announced that Sean Astin will be part of the cast{
The plot follows the books’ basic storyline, which finds a vampire virus that runs rampant through New York and beyond and the CDC doctor (Corey Stoll) who must investigate (and preferably stop) it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Astin is set to play Jim Kent, a friend to Stoll’s Ephraim and his colleague Nora (Mia Maestro), and a political operative who often works alongside their team.
But he ends up causing trouble for them when some financial dodgy dealings catch up to him and he’s forced to betray his ethics.
Astin joins a cast that includes Kevin Durand, John Hurt, Lauren Lee Smith, Jonathan Hyde and Richard Sammel. The cameras will roll this September in Toronto, with all involved hoping that US network FX picks the show up to take it to series. Pacific Rim, meanwhile, lands on July 12.