The CW has clearly found its go-to secret stash of plucky teens ripe for casting: Corporate cousin The N’s Degrassi! First they stole Shenae Grimes (formerly Degrassi’s resident Christian girl Darcy) for 90210, and now Nina Dobrev (model/cheerleader/mom Mia) is heading to that Kevin Williamson Twilight-for-TV drama Vampire Diaries, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She’ll play the lead, a girl caught in a love triangle with two (take that, Bella!) vampire brothers. Now can somebody give the delicious Jake Epstein (formerly Degrassi’s manic-depressive rocker Craig) a job, please?
Sci-fi geeks, meanwhile, will be unequivocally thrilled (I think, though you never know with that crowd) to hear that Firefly’s Morena Baccarin has landed a lead in ABC’s drama based on the seminal ’80s miniseries V. She’ll play Anna, the leader of the invading aliens known as the Visitors. Here’s to hoping that the casting of a Whedon-verse alum is a sign that this latest network TV attempt to capitalize on a beloved ’80s franchise won’t go the way of, say, Knight Rider.
So which castings are you most excited/deeply offended by? Do these stars make you more psyched for Vampire Diaries and V?
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Is there an American version of Degrassi? Because as far as I know, Degrassi continues to be a Canadian production?
Can someone please rescue Cassie Steele from Canadian TV hell? As “Manuella Santos” she proved she was a far better actress than Shenae Grimes. Also can somene give Lauren Collins a job too?
is it really that hard to find a blonde actress for the role! i’m so sick of all my books being turned into movies and shows and having half the characters with fake gross bleached out hair. ugh!
I wanted Nina for 90210, Cassie Steele can certainly bring more spice to the zipcode, oh that Craig character can stay far away from my tube I can’t stand him but RESCUE Cassie from Degrassi.
I agree with B- Cassie Steele is the best actress on Degrassi, and Jake Epstein was the best actor, yet there have been no cool developments in their careers. I think Jake went back to school but what about Cassie who is clearly still acting?
And Nina Dobrev, though very pretty, is not that good an actress and will not be able to carry a Twilight rip off once a week. Think Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy or Nathan Fillion in Firefly- the more out there the plot, the better your cast had better be if you want diehard fans. BtVS and Firefly had their share of pretty people but they were all amazing actors. Even the plot of this vamp show is weak; how long can you string out the ‘I’m So In Love With Two With Fangs’ thing before we want to kill all 3 of them?
I’m excited about Morrena getting a lead and will definitley catch V (the stupid cancelled show where she was a nurse to a lame doc never did her justice) I just worry that V should start on Sci Fi- they’re less ‘cancel happy’
Dear CW – continue mining canadian teen TV for all it is worth… but give them better gigs than a remake of a TV show I enjoyed when I was actually in the demographic.
thank you.
(from a 34-year-old loyal viewer of Degrassi on the N. yeah, i know.)
It would have been awesome if Cassie turned up as the love child of Brenda Walsh and Dean Cain’s character. I really dislike Shenae. Anyhow, also Ashlee on Melrose Place should be replaced by Alexz Johnson. Matt Cohen from South of Nowhere should be on a real show already. And Kate Todd got ridiculously hot since Radio Free Roscoe, why is she not in anything either? But I hope Cassie can get a good gig somewhere soon. Her storylines were always interesting even when her character was unlikeable at the time. It shows how good Cassie is. How Shenae got hired is beyond me. She is the weakest link (actingwise) on 90210.
Hmm, Vampire Diaries on the CW…it’s being compared to the awful Twilight movie. No thanks. I’m content getting my vampire fix from HBO’s True Blood.
As long as shes gone i hate her
Jake Epstein is starring in the Toronto premiere of DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD with Adamo Ruggiero, Mike Lobel and Paula Brancati:
http://www.dogseesgod.ca
Marena Baccarin makes me slightly happier about the otherwise unnecessary V reboot. That’s pretty good casting… tho Jane Badler IS irreplaceable.
mandy musgrave and gabrielle cristian, Matt Cohen from South of Nowhere should be on a real show already
Oh PLEASE. Stop with that “Twilight-for-TV” thing, Vampire Diaries is based on the book series under the same name, NOT Twilight. And LIA, Vampire Diaries is NOT a Twilight rip-off, this series by Ljane Smith have been originally published in 1991.
I love the vampire diaries books and im so excited for it to come out but it’ll take forever because i live in New Zealand but EXCITEMENT!!!!!
I LOVE DAMON AND I HOPE THEY GET A HOT GUY FOR HIM!!!
you didn’t have a picture you could use of any of the people you mentioned in the posting? so you HAD to use a random picture of an actual airline pilot (or catalog version thereof)? EW, up the budget, just a little!
As my fellow Vampire Diaries fans stated, it is NOT a spin-off from the Twilight movie. Twilight down right sucked. VD is a completely different series and should be given a chance. Because it’s BETTER.
I know Cassie Steele is persueing her career in music.(her new cd is Destruct-o-Doll, check it out!) And Jake Epstien is currently touring with the broadway play Spring Awakening. I really want to see it so I can meet Jake, butit already went past my town.AND I am so sad Nina is leaving Degrassi… I was hoping she could do both! I just want the Degrassi oldies back!