Vampire Diaries alumni Michael Trevino and Containment star Trever St. John have joined Lawrence Bender’s reboot of Roswell.
St. John, who will appear in the pilot episode of the series, will play Master Sgt. Jesse Manes and will presumably be the father of Sgt. Alex Manes, who will be played by Tyler Blackburn.
Former Vampire Diaries star Michael Trevino has been cast as Kyle Valenti, the popular son of the local sheriff who reexamines his outlook on life when he discovers the truth of his family’s legacy. Trevino will reunite with former showrunner Julie Plec on the series.
The pilot episode of Roswell was penned by Carina Adly MacKenzie and will executive produce alongside Lawrence Bender, Justin Falvey, Kevin Kelly Brown and Darryl Frank.
Lawrence Bender also produced Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and the Netflix production Seven Seconds.
Kevin Kelly Brown served as an executive producer on the original series.
The Roswell reboot will play off of the core ideas from the book and original television series, but the new take will feature grown-up versions of the show’s familiar characters. The reboot does not pick up where the show left off. Sticking to the original plotline, characters Liz and Max meet for the first time, and she discovers his other-worldly abilities.
In the series, Liz Parker’s parents are undocumented immigrants. After returning, reluctantly, to her hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, Liz discovers that her teenage crush (Max), who is now a police officer, is an alien. Max has hid abilities his entire life.
The show takes a more political stance and focuses on modern, prominent issues. Producer Lawrence Bender is known for taking on political issues, like racism and environmental issues. His Netflix series Seven Seconds, follows an African American boy who is injured by a Caucasian cop, escalating racial tensions. It’s no surprise then that the Roswell reboot will also focus on political and societal issues.
Other cast members to join the show include Nathan Parsons (The Originals), Jeanine Mason (Grey’s Anatomy), Lily Cowles, Michael Vlamis and Heather Hemmens.
Both the original TV series, which aired on the WB and UPN between 2000 and 2002, and the reboot are based on the Melinda Metz series of books entitled Roswell High.
The original Roswell series was executive produced and developed by Jason Katims and featured a young ensemble that included Shiri Appleby, Katherine Heigl, Brenden Fehr, Colin Hanks, Jason Behr, Majandra Delfino, Emilie de Ravin, Adam Rodriguez and Nick Wechsler.
The Roswell project is one of 9 pilots ordered by the CW for 2018, which also includes a Charmed reboot and a Supernatural spinoff called Wayward Sisters. Freeform has also given a put pilot to a reboot of the 1990s series Part of Five, which originally starred Neve Campbel. The reboot will be immigration-themed and revolved around Mexican-American siblings.
The Charmed reboot will have a feminist storyline
Other CW pilots planned for 2018 include In the Dark, Spencer, Skinny Dip, Dead Inside and The End of the World As We Know It.