Taylor Schilling has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “What the Dead Know,” Variety has learned.
The pilot was picked up at NBC in January and is executive produced by NBC cornerstone Dick Wolf. It is based on the memoir of the same name by former New York City medical examiner Barbara Butcher. The logline for the show states, “Death Investigator Ava Ledger (Schilling) is really good with dead bodies. It’s the living that give her trouble. ‘What the Dead Know’ follows Ava as she teams with the NYPD to solve their toughest cases.”
Schilling is best known for her role as Piper Chapman in the groundbreaking Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” Her work in the show earned her an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. She has since appeared in shows like “Dear Edward” at Apple TV, “Pam & Tommy” at Hulu, “Poker Face” at Peacock, and the AMC animated series “Pantheon.” Schilling has also been seen in films like “Family,” “The Lucky One,” and “Argo.”
She is repped by Gersh, Untitled, and Goodman Genow.
“What the Dead Know” is being written and executive produced by Beth Rinehart. Wolf executive produces via Wolf Entertainment along with Tom Thayer, Peter Jankowski, and Anastasia Puglisi. Kevin Plunkett, Rebecca McGill, and Butcher are co-executive producers. Universal Television, where Wolf is under an overall deal, will produce.
With the casting, NBC has set leads for all of its drama pilots this season. As previously announced, David Boreanaz will lead the network’s attempt to reboot “The Rockford Files,” while fellow “Bones” alum Emily Deschanel will star in an untitled criminal profiler drama pilot. In addition, Damon Wayans Jr. will star in the pilot “Puzzled” about a man with Acquired Savant Syndrome. The NBC drama pilot “Protection,” which is described as an ensemble, recently cast Peter Krause in a major role.
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