Elizabeth Henstridge Joins ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Cast

Elizabeth Henstridge, who acted in J.J. Abrams and Mark Schwahn’s Shelter pilot, will play the science-savvy Agent Gemma Simmons in the pilot for Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series. 

She will join the previous announced Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) and Ming-Na as well as Iain De Caestecker, who will play the technology whiz Agent Leo Fitz, who will often be at loggerheads with Henstridge’s Agent Simmons. De Caestecker has played the lead in two very well received BBC series, The Fades and Young James Herriot.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news of the addition of Henstridge and De Caestecker to the pilot, Joss Whedon is slated to write the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot along with his brother Jed and Maurissa Tancharoen, and he “will direct the pilot if his schedule permits.”

ABC Orders Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot

ABC has ordered a pilot episode for S.H.I.E.L.D., a live-action series from Joss Whedon, Marvel TV, and ABC Studios. Whedon will co-write the show along with his frequent collaborators, Maurissa Tancharoen and her husband, Whedon’s brother, Jed. The trio collaborated on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Tancharoen and Jed also worked on The Avengers with Joss. No word yet on any potential casting moves for the series--is it too much to ask for Samuel L. Jackson?

Just a couple of weeks ago Joss Whedon signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Studios for both movies and television that runs through 2015, and even before the announcement of the S.H.I.E.L.D. project, Whedon’s influence at Marvel was already apparent in the studio’s interest in having Whedon’s friend (and off-beat genre director) James Gunn direct the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

According to Deadline, "Joss Whedon is also set to direct the pilot, schedule permitting." This announcement marks a return to TV for Whedon who created the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse series.

Marvel has had several live-action TV projects, including a Hulk series and Jessica Jones, in development longer than S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is the first Marvel live-action prime time series to get the green light since the company’s acquisition by Disney.



Of course the network still has to like the pilot in order to get the show on the air, but there is no doubt that a successful Marvel-based series on ABC would provide yet another boost for the comics market.

Fury in Nine Marvel Films

Samuel L. Jackson has been signed to play Nick Fury in up to nine Marvel films, according to the Hollywood trades. At one point, negotiations had “broken down,” according to Jackson, but the longer deal apparently made things work for both sides.

The films will include Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and potentially a starring role in a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie.