CBS is working on a truly bizarre sounding new political horror comedy series, and we now have our first official member of the cast.
According to The Wrap, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is joining the new CBS series Braindead. She'll be playing Capitol Hill staffer Laurel, the one to discover that aliens have come to Earth and eaten the brains of U.S. Congressmen.
Yeah, that's the premise of the series, which comes from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King, as we previously reported. They describe the show as a mix of The West Wing and The Strain, probably two of the most unrelated shows in existence. The Kings also said that Braindead will be their way of commenting on the world of modern politics: through the opening act of a horror movie.
In terms of casting Winstead, the Kings noted that they've enjoyed the actress' work going back to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but they were especially impressed by her performance in Smashed and Alex of Venice.
"She’s fantastic at mixing comedy and drama, and keeping it all vulnerable, yet real," the Kings said in a statement. "We can’t wait to see what she does with Laurel.”
Braindead will premiere with 13 episodes next summer. The series is co-produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. Scott, the Kings, Judy Smith, David Zucker and Liz Glotzer serve as executive producers.