We’ve been telling you since last June about the Syfy project Defiance, the TV series written by Rockne O’Bannon (Warehouse 13, Farscape) that will be directly affecting and affected by the online role playing game of the same name being developed by Trion Worlds. We told you in December that they had signed a director, Scott Stewart (Priest, Legion). Now we’re happy to report that casting has begun, and they have their lead.

Deadline is reporting that Grant Bowler (Steve Niles’ Remains, True Blood, Lost) has  been cast as Jeb Nolan, a lawman in a future frontier boomtown, a former Marine who lost his wife and child in “the war.” Wait a second – was there a battle in Serenity Valley? No? Just checking. Here are some reminders of what we know so far:

DEFIANCE™ is the first multi-platform shooter MMO which, in a ground-breaking entertainment experience, interconnects with a global television program on Syfy. The game combines the intense action of a console third-person shooter with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO, while its TV counterpart exudes the scope, story, and drama of a classic sci-fi epic. Being developed for the PC, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Defiance introduces players and viewers to a world where humans and aliens live together on a planet ravaged by decades of conflict.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhF5_UfWT_Y&hd=1[/youtube]

As always, we’ll keep you posted.