Ramón Rodríguez to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Will Trent”

Ramón Rodríguez has found a new will to thrive…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the lead role of ABC’s drama pilot Will Trent, which now has been officially cleared for production.

Ramon RodriguezRodriguez will also be a producer on the project, which hails from 20th Television.

Rodríguez was approached just a couple of weeks after the series had received a cast-contingent pilot order in early February. Trent’s casting, which comes after lengthy negotiations, removes that contingency.

Rodríguez most recently starred opposite Aubrey Plaza and served as producer on the Hulu pilot Olga Dies Dreaming, which isn’t moving forward.

In Will Trent, written by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, Special Agent Will Trent (Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Rodríguez’s Will Trent is a gifted GBI agent and a loner within the law-enforcement community who hides the severe dyslexia that went untreated during his traumatic childhood in foster care. But with the Bureau’s best clearance rate, he couldn’t care less if people don’t like him.

Heldens and Thomsen executive produce along with Slaughter and 3 ArtsOly Obst.

Rodríguez’s television series credits include Showtime’s The Affair and Netflix/Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. In features, he next will be seen starring in the horror film Lullaby from Annabelle director John R. Leonetti. He recently starred in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan alongside Bryan Cranston.

Oona Chaplin to Star in the Horror Feature “Lullaby”

There’s nothing soothing about Oona Chaplin’s next project…

The 33-year-old part-Chilean actress has been tapped to star in Lullaby, a horror feature from Alcon Entertainment

Oona Chaplin

John R. Leonetti, who has directed films in the same genre like AnnabelleWish Upon, and most recently the Netflix original The Silence, has signed on to direct Lullaby, which will begin production in Toronto next month.

Based on the mythological figure Lilith, the film is rooted in folklore and follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby (“Lilith-Abi” Hebrew for “Lilith, begone”) brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.

Chaplin, the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, has previously appeared on HBO’s Game of ThronesBBC’s The Crimson Fieldand Taboo.

She’s set to appear in the forthcoming Avatar sequels.