With Men of a Certain Age done, that leaves its cast free to move forward on other projects. For Andre Braugher, who played Owen on the TNT comedy series, that may include a starring role in a drama, assuming things go well for Shawn Ryan’s pilot Last Resort.
The Sony TV produced pilot is included on ABC’s slate of dramas in development. It's executive produced by The Shield’s Shawn Ryan, and written/executive produced by Karl Gajdusek. The drama is described as a thriller that’s set in the near future and follows the crew of a U.S. submarine that refuses an order to fire their missiles and ends up being hunted. They take shelter on a NATO listening outpost on the island of Sainte Marina and declare themselves an independent nation (with lots of nukes).
According to Deadline, Braugher has been set to play the lead role as Captain Marcus Chaplin, “the commander of the U.S.S. Nevada, a veteran of real combat, a leader by nature and a patriot, but will not follow any man blindly.”
It’s exciting to have a face to go with the pilot, and Braugher is certainly a great bit of casting for the project. In addition to some notable film and television roles, he’s received numerous Emmy nominations and two wins (one for Homicide: Life on the Street and another for a 2006 miniseries called Thief). A strong lead actor is most definitely a good start for the casting process. It’ll be interesting to see who else signs on for the pilot.
