Two months ago, we reported that Fox had given J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz a pilot commitment. Not much was known at the time, except that it was to be "a show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz." J.J. Abrams and a mysterious island...where have we heard that before? Abrams was the co-creator and an executive producer of ABC's LOST - which ended it's strong six year run in May - and news broke this afternoon that a former castaway from LOST has been cast in a lead role on Alcatraz.
Dude, it's Hurley! We all loved him as fun-loving lottery winner Hugo "Hurley" Reyes on the LOST island, and now you'll get to know Jorge Garcia as Dr. Diego Soto, a "hippy geek" who is "the world's foremost expert on Alcatraz.” The same report also brings new information about the show, stating that it “centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day. It chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior.”
This new information, plus the casting of Garcia has immediately vaulted this show to the top of my most-anticpated list, along with another Abrams project featuring ex-castaways. In September, we reported that NBC had given another of his projects a pilot commitment. That show will feature Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson in a comedic drama where the two men as former black ops agents.
More from the report:
"Alcatraz was written on spec by Elizabeth Sarnoff, who penned the final version, and Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, who wrote earlier incarnations. The project, from Abrams' Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV. Sarnoff serves as showrunner and executive produces with Abrams and Bryan Burk. Lilien and Wynbrandt will co-executive produce and Danny Cannon will direct the pilot, which is slated to begin in January in San Francisco and Vancouver."
Only one question remains: are you excited, or are you excited?
That sounds like The 4400. Except there probably isn't gonna be a cute little blond girl…
Or will there???
I'm very excited! It also sounds like next year's pilot season will be a lot better than this years! I've been so disappointed with new TV recently.
Awesome news. I've been dying to have Jorge back on my tube.
I'm definitely intrigued now with the news of the people reappearing 30 years later.