Will Arnett isn't putting all of his eggs in one comedy basket next season; EW reports that the "Up All Night" and "Arrested Development" star has been cast in the lead role of CBS' untitled Greg Garcia comedy pilot.
According to EW, Arnett will play a recent divorcé whose life becomes infinitely more complicated after his parents start having marital difficulties of their own. The pilot hails from "My Name is Earl" and "Raising Hope" creator Greg Garcia, with "Friends" director Jim Burrows set to film.
Arnett's role is still in second position to NBC's struggling "Up All Night," so if that series moves forward with its multicamera reboot, Arnett will have to bow out of the CBS project. Still, with Christina Applegate's exit after numerous behind-the-scenes changes, and Maya Rudolph's recently announced pregnancy, there's some doubt as to whether "Up All Night" will continue in its new format or simply be cancelled.
In other pilot news ...
"Homeland" star and producers reteam for CBS drama. David Harewood will join "Anatomy of Violence," a story about Dr. Raines, a criminal psychologist who partners with a rookie female detective with whom he shares a tumultuous past. Executive produced by "Homeland" trio Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Alex Cary, "Violence" will feature Harewood as Special Agent Alejo, a respected profiler and friend/boss to Raines. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Steve Zahn joins ABC's "Influence." The Kyle Killen project centers around two brothers -- one a bipolar psychology guru and the other an ex-con -- who run an unusual firm that relies on their very unique skill-sets to solve their clients' problems. Zahn is playing psychology whiz Clark, "an unmedicated bipolar world renowned expert in the fields of human behavior, psychology and motivation" who was fired from his job as a professor after having an affair with one of his students. [Deadline]
Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" casts two roles. Orlando Jones will play Dt. Frank Williams in the modern retelling of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," which sees Ichabod Crane transported from the 18th century to the present day, where he must prove his innocence in a murder case and convince a dubious detective that he's travelled through time. Katia Winter will appear as Ichabod's wife, a nurse in the Revolutionary War. [THR]
Annie Mumolo to star in comedy "Middle Age Rage." The "Bridesmaids" co-writer has been cast as Carol, a middle-aged wife and mother who decides she no longer wants to be taken for granted by her family and starts demanding more respect in the ABC comedy. [Deadline]
