TORONTO — Sean Astin of The Lord of the Rings is Toronto-bound to star in the new TV series The Strain.
Executive producer Carlton Cuse announced the casting via Twitter on Tuesday night.
Astin, 42, joins Corey Stoll (House of Cards), John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Richard Sammel (Inglourious Basterds) and Ontario’s Kevin Durand (Real Steel) in The Strain, which follows a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control probing a vampire virus that infects New York City.
Mia Maestro (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) and Vancouver actress Lauren Lee Smith (The Listener) also have roles.
The series is based on a book trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, who co-wrote the script.
Del Toro, who made the new sci-fi movie Pacific Rim in Toronto last year, will direct the pilot.
The Strain is being produced for the U.S. cable channel FX.
A pilot for The Strain is set to be filmed in Toronto from mid-September to early October. If it’s green-lit, production of the series is scheduled for November to April 2014.
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