Syfy has announced additional casting for its previously announced series pilot ALPHAS.
Azita Ghanizada (GHOST WHISPERER) will play a character named Rachel who has the ability to ” ‘hyper-intensify’ her senses, one at a time—vision, hearing, taste, and smell.”
“Her mother and father—who are conservative parents—thought she was cursed and discouraged this unique and amazing ability. Overly sensitive—literally—Rachel has always felt ashamed and rejected. With Dr. Rosen’s (David Strathairn) help and encouragement, she’s learning to appreciate her skill and grow increasingly confident and adventurous.”
Callum Keith Rennie —Cylon Leoben on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA—will play Don Wilson, “a Washington bureaucrat, and Lee Rosen’s superior and contact inside the Pentagon.”
SyFy’s press release describes the pilot as a “wry action-adventure project”. This kind of qualifier crops up so frequently that I have to wonder if writers and producers have some kind of fear of actually playing super-heroic productions straight. Are they afraid no one will take them seriously if they take their own productions seriously? Or is it a basic distrust and/or disdain for the material?
The 90-minute pilot in currently in production in Toronto, Canada.