Billy Zane to Guest Star As PT Barnum on Legends of Tomrrow

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Legends of Tomorrow Casts Billy Zane As PT Barnum

By Nicole Sobon

Published Jun 14, 2017

The scene is set for a Titanic reunion on Legends of Tomorrow as actor Billy Zane guest stars as P.T. Barnum in Season 3.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow will stage a Titanic reunion in Season Three, as actor Billy Zane has been cast as legendary showman P.T. Barnum in an episode of the CW drama.

Actress Caity Lotz, who stars Sara Lance, previously promised an "even crazier" third season, although she followed that remark by admitting she didn't actually know too much about the show's plans. However, by casting someone of Zane's caliber as P.T. Barnum, the series certainly will be delving into some colorful historical figures when it returns in the fall.

The guest role will reunite Zane with his Titanic co-star Victor Garber, something executive producer Phil Klemmer admitted led to the casting of Zane. “Obviously, we couldn’t resist putting Victor Garber and Billy Zane back on screen for the first time since the Titanic," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Of course, reuniting the two actors was only part of the reason for casting Zane. Klemmer admitted he's been eager to cast Zane since he saw the actor's comedic chops in a television pilot produced by his friend. As he explained to EW, the producers thought Zane would be able to "find the soul" beneath the legendary showman.

“Truth is, Barnum never said ‘there’s a sucker born every minute,'" Klemmer said. "He was less a conman, more the father of modern advertising. A guy who made things ‘go viral’ before that was a thing. Sure, in one sense, he’s the villain of our story, but in another, he’s just a guy who wants to put on a good show."

Zane, who most recently starred on Freeform's Guilt, is no stranger to the superhero genre, having famously played The Phantom in the titular 1996 film. He is only the latest actor to join Legends of Tomorrow, following the casting of Tala Ashe as Zari Adrianna Tomaz.

Returning Tuesday, Oct. 10, on The CW, Legends of Tomorrow stars Victor Garber as Martin Stein, Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter, Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory/Heat Wave, Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/White Canary, Franz Drameh as Jefferson “Jax” Jackson/Firestorm, Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/Atom, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Amaya Jiwe/Vixen, and Nick Zano as Nate Heywood/Steel.