With all the excitement over Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, it’s easy to forget that it isn’t a series yet. All it is is a planned pilot episode, and there’s no guarantee it’ll get picked up or see the light of day. However with Joss Whedon onboard to direct that pilot, you’ve got to imagine it’s got a good chance of becoming a fully-fledged show.
Now the pilot has rounded out its mains cast, adding Nashville star Chloe Bennet as Skye. She joins Ming-Na (Agent Melinda May), Elizabeth Henstridge (Agent Gemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Agent Leo Fitz}, and Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward), along with Clark Gregg as the ubiquitous Agent Coulson, although it’s still not known if Gregg will be a regular character or if he’ll just be in the pilot.
Back in October, a character breakdown said about Skye, “This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.” The character is also apparently obsessed with superhero culture, which is likely what leads her to work at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Joss Whedon will direct the pilot episode from a script he co-wrote with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. They’ll shoot the episode in January, and if all goes to plan, the series will start airing on ABC in the US next autumn. (Source: THR)