Mary Elizabeth Winstead will lead the new CBS series “BrainDead,” an individual with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap.
Winstead will play Laurel, a young Capitol Hill staffer who, after getting her first job in Washington, D.C., discovers that the government has stopped working and aliens have come to earth and eaten the brains of Congressmen and Hill staffers.
The comic-thriller series, described as “The Strain” crossed with “The West Wing,” comes from “The Good Wife” creators and executive producers Robert and Michelle King. The series received a 13-episode order from CBS in July and is set to premiere next summer.
“We’ve been fans of Mary going back to ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,’ but it was really her extraordinary work in ‘Smashed’ and ‘Alex of Venice’ that had us imagining Laurel’s lines coming out of her mouth,” said the Kings in a statement. “She’s fantastic at mixing comedy and drama, and keeping it all vulnerable, yet real. We can’t wait to see what she does with Laurel.”
“BrainDead” is produced by CBS Television Studios. Robert and Michelle King, Ridley Scott, David Zucker and Liz Glotzer will serve as executive producers for CBS Television Studios, Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. Judy Smith will serve as co-executive producer.