After headlining the action drama Shooter , Ryan Phillippe will be seen in a brand new role, quite possibly as Frankenstein’s monster in a new CBS drama titled Alive . A report from The Hollywood Reporter details the role, as well as the new show.
Ryan Phillippe was formerly the star of Shooter , the USA network TV adaptation of the Mark Wahlberg movie of the same name. The show successfully ran for three seasons, prior to being canceled. Phillippe has now moved on to CBS with a new show, formerly titled Frankenstein.
Dr. Frankenstein and his monster have been the subject of many books, movies, shows, and other fictional content, ever since its creation by author Mary Shelley in 1818, as noted in The New Yorker. Since then, the characters have been used in many incarnations, from comedic children’s animated movies like Hotel Transylvania, to even drama thriller TV series such as Penny Dreadful. The character will seemingly be adapted into a new, modern-day setting in Alive , with Phillippe possibly portraying the role of Frankenstein’s monster, as the THR report covers.
The new show will be set in San Francisco, with Phillippe playing a former homicide detective, Mark Escher, who is killed on the job. However, Escher reappears mysteriously after six months, to be reunited with his wife. The wife is played by Katrina Law, whom fans will remember from the recently canceled Arrow.
Law plays Elizabeth Lavenza, who also happens to be a medical examiner, as she tries to figure out the circumstances of Mark’s return, theorizing it has something to do with the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is played by Aaron Staton and is supposed to be an experimental doctor with a flexible ethical code, and who is also Lavenza’s ex. The show seems to focus on this strange trio of characters, as Mark and Elizabeth need to figure out how he was able to return.
There are no further details on how the show will be formatted; whether it will be a procedural that sees Mark return to the job and try to deal with his new found life, or if it is even Mark who has returned. Clearly, the naming of one character as “Frankenstein” means that the world of the show is oblivious to the literary references of the actual fictional Dr. Frankenstein. Phillippe is a strong performer known for his more subdued roles, and Alive sounds right up his alley.
No premiere date has been released for Alive as of yet, but the show will premiere on CBS.
