Fox has chosen a former Nickelodeon star with a strong family acting background for the lead in their drama pilot Delirium. Emma Roberts, who is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts as well as the niece of Julia Roberts (the resemblance in the smile is unmistakable), has been cast in the starring role, which would represent her return to television for the first time since she left the Nick series Unfabulous in 2007.
Delirium is a surreal sounding drama focused on a world where falling in love is illegal and there is a medical procedure to eradicate the ability of human beings to love. Roberts will play Lena Holoway, who finds herself doing the one thing she is not supposed to do only 95 days before undergoing the treatment – she falls in love. The project is based on the trilogy written by Lauren Oliver and is executive produced by Prison Break producer Karyn Usher alongside David Chernin, Katherine Pope and Paula Mazur.
Roberts appeared in small film roles in movies like Blow with Johnny Depp before moving on to teen-queen status through her role on Nickelodeon. She did a number of teen movies during and after her run on Unfabulous, including Nancy Drew and Aquamarine. No longer a teen star, Roberts has been pursuing a career in more adult feature films (she will next be seen on the big screen in Empire State and Adult World), but Deadline says she’s been pursued for multiple TV projects. It seems she has finally found one that works for her with Delirium. So far, she’s the only casting news we’ve seen on this one.
