We first told you back in April about Syfy‘s venture into the zombie apocalypse TV series genre, Z Nation, scheduled for this fall. Billed as a 13-episode series, it’s unclear at this point whether or not that means it’s a limited series, meaning it will be complete at the end of the 13th episode. We’ll keep you posted on that.
In the meantime, however, the good news is that casting has been announced, led by one of our favorites, Harold “Waaaaaaaalt!” Perrineau (Lost), who will also be appearing this fall on NBC‘s Constantine.
Since Syfy is part of the NBC Universal family, I’d be a little surprised if the two shows aired opposite each other, though Constantine is scheduled to air at 10/9c on Friday nights, when Syfy often airs its scripted shows. One way or another, I’ll definitely be watching both.
Here’s the casting announcement, which also includes Garth from Supernatural:
HAROLD PERRINEAU, TOM EVERETT SCOTT AND DJ QUALLS JOIN CAST OF SYFY’S ZOMBIE SERIES Z NATION
13-Episode Series To Premiere in Fall 2014
NEW YORK – June 19, 2014 – Syfy today unveiled the cast of Z Nation, an all-new zombie series set to debut in the fall. From production company The Asylum (Sharknado), the 13-episode action-horror series depicts the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse. Harold Perrineau (Oz, Lost) Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty and the Beast), DJ Qualls (Supernatural), Michael Welch (Twilight trilogy) and Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) have joined the ensemble drama, currently in production in Spokane, WA.
In Z Nation, three years have passed since the zombie virus has gutted the country, and a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. Although the antibodies he carries are the world’s last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark secret that threatens them all. With humankind’s survival at stake, the ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America.
Perrineau will play Hammond, the leader of the group headed west; Scott portrays Garnett, Hammond’s second-in-command; and Qualls plays the role of Citizen Z, a computer hacker who joins the team and helps them navigate the zombie-infested terrain. Welch and Smith are Mack and Addy, respectively, two disparate wanderers drawn to the team – and to each other – by a shared goal: survival.
Rounding out the ensemble are Anastasia Baranova (The Darkness II) as Addy, Russell Hodgkinson (Big Fish) as Doc and Keith Allan (Rise of the Zombies) as Murphy.
Z Nation is a dynamic ensemble action-drama that will plunge viewers into a fully-imagined post-zombie America and take them on an adventure with a diverse group of richly-drawn characters. As the reluctant heroes learn to work as a team and battle ever-more-menacing zombies, their flaws, idiosyncrasies, and moral dilemmas will ultimately become the heart of the show.
Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Acclaimed action director John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) will direct the pilot. The series is produced by The Asylum and sold internationally by Dynamic Television.
About Syfy
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. (Syfy. Imagine Greater.)About Dynamic Television
Dynamic Television is a packaging, acquisition and distribution company with a disciplined and global strategy focused on fostering transparent and integrated partnerships between talent, producers and broadcasters. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and Paris.About The Asylum
The Asylum is one of the world’s leading brand-oriented motion picture and television studios. With a focus on high-concept, market-driven entertainment, like Sharknado, The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation’s top retailers and its network of international distribution partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and has built a library of over 200 original productions, including top-rated movie premieres for Syfy, Lifetime and Animal Planet networks.
Z Nation, starring Harold Perrineau, Tom Everett Scott, DJ Qualls, Michael Welch, Kellita Smith, Anastasia Baranova, Russell Hodgkinson, and Keith Allan, airs this fall on Syfy.
