Casting News

In another sad reminder that Lost will soon come to an end, Daniel Dae Kim has signed on for a new series.

The actor that's turned Jin into a fascinating, lovable character - despite rarely uttering a word of English - has been cast as a lead in CBS' upcoming remake of Hawaii Five-O.

Kim will portray Chin Ho Kelly (originally played by Kam Hong in the 1968 to 1980 show). Because this reboot comes from Fringe cocreators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, it's already receiving a great deal of buzz.

As for the role of Detective Steve McGarrett? Former Moonlight and Three Rivers star Alex O'Loughlin is being considered for it because CBS refuses to admit that perhaps he can't carry a series.

From running crossing patterns to appearing as a star-crossed lover...

Zach Gilford, who rose to prominence due to his outstanding portrayal of Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, has joined the cast of ABC’s upcoming hour-long drama Matadors.

As first reported by Michael Ausiello, the series focuses on a pair of dueling Chicago-based families, one in the DA’s office and another in a big-time law firm. It's a modern-day Romeo & Juliet, which will feature Gilford as Alex Galloway.

The actor, whose character left Dillon, Texas a few episodes ago, will appear again on Wednesday’s fourth season finale on DIRECTV. The Friday Night Lights season will air again on NBC this spring.

More bad news for NBC: it's losing a major star from one of its only solid shows.

Earlier today, Christopher Meloni said he's exiting Law & Order: Special Victims Unit after next season. That will mark 12 seasons on the air as detective Elliot Stabler.

"I think 12 years is enough, a good number," Meloni said. "The writers will have fertile ground to figure out how to arc him out to another place – whether it's this world or the next. It will be a very difficult transition."

What does this mean for Mariska Hargitay as Elliot's partner, Olivia Benson? She isn't going anywhere.

"It's been proven over and over to me that this is the right thing for me to still be here," Hargitay said, adding she'll anchor the series for the "foreseeable future."

But it won't be the same without Meloni by her side. Will you miss him?

A pair of soap opera stars are heading to primetime.

Michael Graziadei (pictured, Daniel, The Young and the Restless) and Finola Hughes (Anna, General Hospital) will both guest star on the February 3 episode of the CBS drama.

During the hour, a young woman's body is found, drained of blood. This brings the investigation into the dark and mysterious subculture of vampirism, as Graziadei appears as Keith, the grieving boyfriend; and Hughes portrays the victim's mother.

Last month, Vanessa Minnillo and Kim Kardashian guest-starred on an episode of the series.

J.J. Abrams continues to add names to the cast of his next series, Undercovers.

The dramedy, based around a married pair of CIA agents, will star Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the main roles.

It's just been announced they'll be joined on the show by Ben Schwartz, a comedian who will portray a young CIA agent.

Schwartz has been a sketch performer for the Upright Citizens Brigade and once appeared on an episode of Accidentially on Purpose.

In creating hits such as Alias, Lost and Fringe, J.J. Abrams has also made stars out of actresses such as Jennifer Garner, Evangeline Lilly and Annas Torv.

This is very good news for Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

The British actress has been cast as the female lead on Abrams' next series, the Mr. & Mrs. Smith-like Undercovers.

As one half of a married spy couple, Mbatha-Raw will portray Samantha Bloom, the wife of Boris Kodjoe's Steven. Gerald McRaney is also on board as the pair's boss.

Mbatha-Raw, 27, is best known for her recurring role as Tish Jones in Doctor Who. More recently, she appeared opposite Jude Law in a Broadway production of Hamlet.

Looks like the casting director for Law & Order: SVU has followed his/her basic instinct:

Sharon Stone has been cast on the drama for a four-episode arc that starts in April.

The Oscar-nominated actress - who actually won an Emmy for appearing on three episodes of The Practice in 2004 - will portray a former cop-turned-prosecutor that goes head-to-head with Benson, Stabler, and the gang.

“It is obviously a thrill and a delight to have a star of Sharon’s wattage and importance joining SVU,” SVU boss Dick Wolf told Entertainment Weekly.

Earlier this week, Mischa Barton was also cast on the show. She'll guest star as a prostitute on a March episode.

The Beautiful Life may be resurrected online.

But Mischa Barton isn't waiting around to find out. The rail-thin actress has signed on for a guest-starring role on Law & Order: SVU. She'll play a prostitute named Gladys.

Producer Neal Baer says he's been a fan of Barton's since she appeared in The Sixth Sense.

“She’s gone on to do amazing work both on TV and on the stage,” Baer said to TV Guide Magazine.

On the March 3 episode, it will be revealed that Barton's character is hiding a secret, one that proves to make life complicated for Mariska Hargitay’s Benson.

Will Dawson be enough to attract viewers to yet another cliche-ridden medical show?

James Van Der Beek - best known, of course, for his role as Dawson Leery on Dawson's Creek - is coming aboard Mercy in the recurring role of Liam West, the hospital’s new ICU chief.

Sources have told Michael Ausiello that the character is as anti-Dawson as it gets: he's cocky, womanizing, and manipulative, frequently clashing with the show's nurses. The new doctor is also hiding a deep, dark secret. (Is there really any other kind?)

If all goes well, Van Der Beek could become a series regular.

Since leaving the show that made him famous, the actor has guest-starred on One Tree Hill, Ugly Betty and Criminal Minds.

Because their co-starring roles in Disaster Movie went so well...

Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Minnillo will be paired up again on an upcoming episode of CSI: NY.

"The ladies play two women who've managed to concoct a very interesting scheme that ends in murder," producer Pam Veasey says of the December 16 installment.

Kardashian and Minnillo will be joined on the episode by MTV veejay LaLa Vasquez, as well as the band Train, in one of the more random casting notes of all-time.

"I am so excited to be working with Vanessa again," Kardashian told People magazine. "I am fascinated by crime scene investigating. I swear, I wish I was a crime scene investigator sometimes!"

Too bad her busy schedule of posing in a bikini has gotten in the way of her dreams.