It's not unusual for actors who've had a defining role to find it difficult to get fans (or even others in their industry) to see them as other characters while their career progresses. Neve Campbell, however, has been able to do a great job of varying her time as Scream's Sidney Prescott with other parts that help show how versatile she is as an actress. While her last TV gig had her working for the dangerous politicians on Netflix's House of Cards, Campbell is now set to return to the streamer in a series regular role after wrapping her time on Scream 5.
Fans were overjoyed to find out both that Scream would be returning to the big screen after a little over a decade of absence, and that Neve Campbell was coming back to her classic role as Sidney. Now that the movie is done filming though, Variety reports that Campbell has signed on for a starring role in The Lincoln Lawyer. The new Netflix show (which is based on the six-book series by crime author Michael Connelly) focuses on the titular character, Mickey Haller, who runs his Los Angeles law practice from the back of his Lincoln Town Car.
Campbell is now on board to portray Mickey's first ex-wife, Maggie McPherson. Maggie is a Deputy District Attorney who's known for her belief in her mission as prosecutor and fierce commitment to her job so much that her colleagues have nicknamed her “Maggie McFierce.” She's also mother to Mickey's pre-teen daughter, Hayley, whom Maggie and Mickey are dedicated to co-parenting successfully, even though they have frequent professional and personal clashes. The story was previously made into a (very good) 2011 film of the same name with Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, and William H. Macy.
The Lincoln Lawyer will see Neve Campbell join previously announced star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who will play Mickey. It had been set up at CBS, and was given a significant production commitment during pilot season just last year, but the network decided to back away from the project in May, leaving it open for Netflix to scoop up. The series comes from co-writer and executive producer David E. Kelley, and co-writer, executive producer, and showrunner Ted Humphrey, and will base its first season on the second novel in the book series, The Brass Verdict.
While Neve Campbell's LeAnn Harvey definitely laid down with dogs and got up with fleas several times during her two-season stint on House of Cards, we can likely bet that her Maggie will have an easier go of it on The Lincoln Lawyer. While fans of the actress are probably eagerly awaiting her return in Scream 5, it's good to see her on the small screen again, as she's been filling her time since 2017 with movie roles.
We don't know just yet when The Lincoln Lawyer will debut on Netflix, but we do know that Season 1 is said to have 10 episodes. Until we have more info about The Lincoln Lawyer, you can check out TV's new arrivals with our winter / spring premiere guide!
