Joss Whedon’s high-profile ABC pilot Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. has cast a Stargate Universe alum as one of the peacekeeping group’s agents. Ming-na Wen has been brought in to play Agent Melinda May. She’s only the second actor to be cast for the pilot so far, joining Clark Gregg who is reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson from the feature films Iron Man, Thor and The Avengers.
S.H.I.E.L.D. draws from the Marvel universe and focuses on an elite group that appeared in the previous movies set in the same universe. The character Wen has been cast to play, according to Deadline, was originally named Agent Althea Rice a.k.a. The Cavalry, but a name change was made somewhere along the line for reasons that aren’t being revealed. Agent Melinda May is an ace pilot and an expert on weapons, and is described as a soulful woman whose experiences as a soldier have left her somewhat damaged. That doesn’t stop her from going above and beyond the call of duty when needed.
Ming-na Wen just recently went back to using her full name, and was previously going only by Ming-na. She finished up a stint on Season 5 of Eureka this past spring, in addition to her time on SGU. She’s probably best remembered, though for her long-running role on ER as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen.
Marvel’s S.H.I.E.LD. is one of the most talked about pilots this season, an ambitious project that faces the challenge of taking a successful big-screen universe to television. I’ll be watching with interest to see who they cast next.
