ABC has found the female lead for its drama pilot Will Trent.
Erika Christensen will star opposite Ramon Rodriguez in the project based on Karin Slaughter’s best-selling series of crime novels. The Parenthood alum will play Angie, an Atlanta police detective and Will’s (Rodriguez) on-and-off girlfriend.
Will Trent follows the title character, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming of age in Atlanta’s overburdened foster care system. Determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will has the highest clearance rate in the bureau.
Christensen’s Angie is described as someone who’s seen it all but can still crack jokes about the bleak world of being a cop. She and Will have been friends since both were kids in a group home, but she struggles with addiction and has yet to confront the traumas of her childhood.
In addition to Parenthood, Christensen’s credits include ABC’s Ten Days in the Valley and Wicked City, Disney+’s Cheaper by the Dozen remake Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi. She is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Disney’s 20th Television is producing Will Trent. Liz Heldens (The Passage), who has an overall deal at 20th, and Dan Thomsen (Batwoman) wrote the script and executive produce with Slaughter.
Keep track of all the developments during broadcast pilot season with THR’s pilot guide.
