Martinez to Star in Fox’s Drama Pilot “Behind Enemy Lines”

Benito Martinez is facing an Enemy

The 45-year-old Mexican American actor will star in Fox’s drama pilot Behind Enemy Lines, loosely based on the 2001 movie, in a recasting.

Benito Martinez

Written by Nikki Toscano and directed by McG, Behind Enemy Lines is described as a military soap thriller wherein a group of U.S. soldiers find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. It closely follows our soldiers on the ground and the officers and service men and women on a nearby aircraft carrier, along with intelligence officers in D.C. as they attempt to bring our heroes home safely and under the radar.

Martinez will play Mateo Rodriguez, a respected career Navy man and Executive Officer on the aircraft carrier USS Tyson. He replaces Nestor Carbonell, who originally was cast in the role. The decision was made after the Thursday table read, with the character getting slightly reconceived.

The pilot’s cast includes Marg HelgenbergerB.J. Britt, Gabriel Chavarria, Melia Kreiling, Colm Feore, Willa Fitzgerald and Dylan Bruno.

Martinez, an alum of The Shield, is doing a major arc on the current third season of ABC’s American Crime after co-starring in the first installment and guest starring in the second.

He’s finishing production on the Menendez Brothers movie for Lifetime. Martinez, who worked opposite Tom Cruise on the crime thriller American Made and had recurring roles on How to Get Away with Murder and The Blacklist.

Behind Enemy Lines hails from 20th Century Fox Television — whose feature sibling was behind the movie — studio-based Temple Hill and Davis Entertainment.

Carbonell to Star in Fox’s Drama Pilot “Behind Enemy Lines”

Nestor Carbonell is reading behind the lines…

The 49-year-old Cuban/Spanish American actor has been cast opposite Marg Helgenberger and B.J. Britt in Fox’s drama pilot Behind Enemy Lines, a drama pilot loosely based on the 2001 movie.

Nestor Carbonell

Written by Nikki Toscano and directed by McG, Behind Enemy Lines is a military soap thriller wherein a group of U.S. soldiers find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. It’s described as a multiple-perspective narrative that closely follows our soldiers on the ground and the officers and service men and women on a nearby aircraft carrier, along with intelligence officers in D.C. as they attempt to bring our heroes home safely and under the radar.

Carbonell will play Mateo Rodriguez, a respected career Navy man and Executive Officer on the USS Tyson aircraft carrier.

The project hails from 20th Century Fox Television — whose feature sibling was behind the movie — studio-based Temple Hill and Davis Entertainment.

Carbonell’s previous credits include ABC‘s drama series Lost and A&E‘s drama-thriller series Bates Motel.

Chavarria Joins the Cast of Fox’s Drama Pilot “Behind Enemy Lines”

Gabriel Chavarria has lined up another project…

The 27-year-old Latino film and television has joined the cast of Fox’s drama pilot Behind Enemy Lines, a drama pilot loosely based on the 2001 movie.

Gabriel Chavarria

Written by Nikki Toscano and directed by McG, Behind Enemy Lines is a military soap thriller wherein a group of U.S. soldiers find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. It’s described as a multiple-perspective narrative that closely follows our soldiers on the ground and the officers and service men and women on a nearby aircraft carrier, along with intelligence officers in D.C. as they attempt to bring our heroes home safely and under the radar.

Chavarria will play Ziggy Rodriguez, a Navy pilot, and the son of lifetime career Senior Navy Executive Officer Mateo Rodriguez. He joins a cast that includes Marg Helgenberger and B.J. Britt.

The project hails from 20th Century Fox Television — whose feature sibling was behind the movie — studio-based Temple Hill and Davis Entertainment.

Chavarria, who played Jacob Aguilar in East Los Highwill next be seen in War for the Planet of the Apes, which opens in theaters this July, and the upcoming Hunter Killer. He also appeared in feature Lowriders.

BET Confirms Second Season Order of “Being Mary Jane,” Starring Vidal and Gabrielle Union

It’s another year of being for Lisa Vidal

During its upfront in New York, BET has confirmed the renewal of its freshman series Being Mary Jane, which stars the 48-year-old Puerto Rican actress in a series regular role, for a second season.

Lisa Vidal and Gabrielle Union in Being Mary Jane

The series centers on successful talk show host Mary Jane Paul (portrayed by Gabrielle Union), her professional and private family life, while searching for “Mr. Right.”

Being Mary Jane, the network’s first one-hour original drama, is a bona fide smash, earning wide critical acclaim and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie. It became the season’s No. 1 Tuesday primetime show on any network.

In addition to Union and Vidal, who portrays Kara Lynch, a lead producer at SNC and Mary Jane’s friend, the series also stars Richard Roundtree, Stephen Bishop, Margaret Avery, Richard Brooks, B.J. Britt, Raven Goodwin, Aaron D. Spears and LaTarsha Rose.