James Marsden has joined the cast of a new Netflix show, which begs the obvious question. What about Westworld? Marsden has prominently starred as a series regular on the cast of HBO's sci-fi hit throughout its first two seasons as Teddy Flood. With a third season of the series a-go, the actor taking on another role is bound to raise questions. Let's dig into the details surrounding Marsden's new role first.
James Marsden has signed on to star in Netflix's upcoming dark comedy, per Deadline. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini lead the cast, which Ed Asner has also joined. The series, entitled Dead to Me, follows the friendship between Applegate's uptight widow Jen and Cardellini's free-spirited Judy, who harbors a "shocking secret." Judy is where Marsden's role comes into play. He will star as her love interest, and his character is teeming with intrigue.
James Marsden's Dead to Me character is drawn to Judy's personality, which includes her free-spirited big heart. And he is described as coming across "confident and logical." That turns out to be a façade though, which hides a larger picture as a "vulnerable" person with a complex past. Honestly, these two, sound like a great match. She has a shocking secret, and he has a complicated past. It fits. The only way it could not work out is if their secrets are at cross-purposes. Now, what about Westworld?
Dead to Me is set to unfold over the course of ten half-hour episodes, which is the equivalent of five episodes of a drama series. When you look at it that way, even if James Marsden has signed on to star in all ten episodes, it is not as big of a time commitment as it may seem at first. As far as Westworld is concerned, the series has been renewed, but the release date has not been set. There was a long break between the first and second seasons, so there's no telling when production would ramp back up.
There have been casting developments for Westworld, in the form of a major Breaking Bad star joining the cast. It is not clear whether Dead to Me will impact James Marsden's availability with Westworld's third season and therefore his character's. To their credit, television series are becoming more and more flexible with their stars' schedules so that they can pursue other projects. Or that is not necessary at all.
James Marsden could also theoretically get done filming the Netflix dramedy before Westworld even begins shooting. At this point, it is all a guessing game. Dead to Me is set to arrive on Netflix sometime in 2019. An exact premiere date is not currently available. Given its track record, Westworld Season 3 arriving in 2020, could be a safe bet. Thankfully, there is a lot to watch in the meantime, including on the streaming giant.
