"Che" star Demián Bichir has signed on as the male lead in FX's drama pilot "The Bridge," the network said Monday.
Adapted from the Scandinavian series "i Bron," the pilot centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the American-Mexican border.
Bichir will play Marco Ruiz, a homicide investigator for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. His character is described as a family man who is one of the last good men in a corrupt and apathetic police force that is outgunned by the powerful drug cartels.
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Bichir, who received an Oscar nomination for his role as a gardener in "A Better Life" and played Fidel Castro in "Che," will likely be known to cable audiences for his work on the Showtime drama "Weeds," on which he played Esteban Reyes, the Mexican politician/crime lord who married single mother/pot dealer Nancy Botwin.
“We’re huge fans of Demián Bichir’s work and are thrilled he is taking on the lead role in The Bridge,” said John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks. “He instantly raises the level of authenticity to the story and this is a true casting coup."
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Production on "The Bridge" begins in November, with Gerardo Naranjo set to direct.