Upcoming crime drama L.A. NOIR will get a taste of creator Frank Darabont’s current show THE WALKING DEAD, as a key cast member is to join the show alongside HEROES star Milo Ventimiglia.
Ventimiglia, who is most well-known for his role as Peter Petrelli in NBC drama HEROES (2006-10) will play Ned Stax, a young lawyer working as a ‘fixer’ for the mob. Which sounds completely the opposite of his good-guy-saving-the-world routine in HEROES – so hopefully we’ll get to see some more of the capable actor’s range.
The 1940s/50s set drama, which is based on John Buntin’s book ‘L.A. Noir: The Struggle For The Soul Of America’s Most Seductive City’ (and not the videogame ‘L.A. Noire’, though both share the same time period and setting), already has William Parker and Mickey Cohen lined up to star as a police chief and mob boss respectively.
Ventimiglia’s character Stax is said to have served as a marine during World War II, alongside one Joe Teague – played by one of the cast members from THE WALKING DEAD. Teague is set to be the main protagonist of L.A. NOIR, as a police officer who looks into corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department and any ties to criminals. The two marines have gone down seemingly opposing paths, so it’ll be interesting to see what conflict arises from their shared background.
For obvious reasons, the confirmation of the actor who’ll play Teague could easily hint at their departure from THE WALKING DEAD, so look away now if you’re a fan of both that show and surprises.
Joe Teague, Deadline reports, will be played by none other than Jon Bernthal (who plays Shane Walsh in THE WALKING DEAD; arguably one of the show’s main antagonists). Of course, there’s no guarantee that Bernthal won’t be able to star in both shows at the same time, and as he is such a main character it would be quite a daring move for Darabont to kill him off.
But then again, if Darabont thinks Bernthal can serve him better in L.A. NOIR, then who’s to say?
Source: Deadline
