Veteran character actor Steven Ogg has officially boarded the television adaptation of Snowpiercer in a key recurring role.
The upcoming TNT series, based on the South Korean film of the same name by filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho which itself is an adaptation of the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, has cast Ogg as Pike, a career criminal that escaped incarceration just before the sudden arctic freeze that engulfed the entire planet. The gruff, hardened character leads the poorer social castes at the rear end of the titular high-speed train, fighting to ensure their survival.
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Ogg previously had appeared as part of the cast of The Walking Dead during the AMC series' sixth season as Simon before being killed off in the most recent Season 8. Additionally, the actor has a recurring role on HBO's Westworld as Rebus and had a recurring role during Season 2 of Amazon's live-action revival of The Tick.
Like its source material, Snowpiercer is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the entire Earth has been consumed by a deep freeze making human life on the planet's surface impossible. The surviving elements of humanity take refuge on a train speeding around the globe to prevent from freezing with the richer castes living towards the front of the train while poorer castes are kept under abusive repression in the rear.
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A television series based on the graphic novel and film adaptation was optioned by TNT in 2015 before receiving a full series order this past January. Doctor Strange filmmaker Scott Derrickson was attached to direct the pilot and executive produce the series only to leave in June after new showrunner Graeme Manson (Orphan Black) replaced original showrunner and writer Josh Friedman and demanded extensive reshoots.
With Ogg joining the cast, it looks as though the reshoots will proceed without Derrickson on board.
Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is developed for television by Josh Friedman with Bong Joon-Ho, who directed and co-wrote a film adaptation of the same name in 2013, serving as an executive producer while Graeme Manson serves as showrunner. The series stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs.
(via Deadline)