Carla Gugino Snags ‘Roadies’ Lead From Christina Hendricks Over Character Revamp
Carla Gugino’s Roadies role will be replacing that of Christina Hendricks due to a revamp of the upcoming series. The Showtime pilot is set to show life on the road with a rock band, but from the perspective of the people who put everything in motion.
With the reputations of most rock bands, there is always someone who manages their public image, keeps the equipment in check, and negotiates concert venues. That someone is a roadie, and the J.J. Abrams produced TV pilot follows said people and their struggles.
The lead characters in the upcoming TV pilot are the band’s tour manager (Luke Wilson) and their production manager Shelli (Gugino). Some scenes from the show had already been filmed with Christina Hendricks, but series creator Cameron Crowe had re-imagined the character and now Carla Gugino is the new Roadies lead, re-filming some of those scenes as re-written by Crowe.
.@carlagugino will replace Christina Hendricks in Cameron Crowe’s Showtime pilot. http://t.co/BbHX5aSZvJ pic.twitter.com/UU1BhNQKUi
— Variety (@Variety) August 4, 2015
The story is said to have a focus on the professional and personal clashes between the two characters as the tour puts them both to the test.
Carla is no stranger to a wide variety of projects, including big budget films ranging from Jet Li’s The One, to the comic book adaptations of Watchmen and Sin City, and the recent Dwayne Johnson vehicle San Andreas. The move to the small screen might be an interesting transition for the actress, but it hasn’t harmed other Hollywood veterans who had done the same.
The late Robin Williams was among the list also including Charlie Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Zooey Deschanel, Anna Faris, and Kevin Spacey. The move did nothing to harm their film careers.
Gugino has also seen a decent transition to TV in the HBO series The Brink, a TV series about two men (one of whom is film veteran Jack Black) trying to prevent World War 3, though Roadies will be her first starring role in a hopeful series since The Buccaneers.
The producers behind Carla Gugino’s Roadies casting are expecting the pilot to become a series, but the ratings will be the final judge. Be sure to tune in if you’d like to see this behind-the-scenes take on a rock tour happen.
[Image via Frazer Harrison / Getty Images]
