Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park,” “Crusoe,” “Happy Town”) and Parminder Nagra (“ER”) have joined the cast of Fox pilot “Alcatraz,” with Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown,” “Karen Sisco”) in negotiations to join the series as well, according to Deadline Hollywood.
Neill will play the head of a government agency, Nagra will play a government scientist and Forster would play a retired detective.
Already cast were Sarah Jones (Polly Zobelle on “Sons of Anarchy” and Brynn on “Big Love”) as a cop and Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) as an academic and Alcatraz expert.
The series is about the FBI’s efforts to track down a group of guards and inmates who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago, then mysteriously reappeared in the present day.
The busy J.J. Abrams (“Undercovers,” “Super 8,” “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” “Star Trek: Vulcan Afire”) serves as executive producer on “Alcatraz.”
Longtime “Lost” writer-producer Elizabeth Sarnoff co-created the project and will serve as its showrunner should it go to series.
Abrams already has one series at Fox in "Fringe," which moves to the network's Friday Death Slot next month.
Find all of Deadline’s exclusive on the matter here.
