Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse – Casting Update!

Hollywood Reporter has a small casting update on Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. Dollhouse, follows a group of people known as actives or ‘dolls’ who have had their personalities wiped clean to allow them to be imprinted with new personas. They are then hired out for various tasks (some legal, some not so legal). At the end of the job, they are mind-wiped again into a child-like state, and housed together in a hidden futuristic dormitory/laboratory nicknamed “The Dollhouse”.

The Cast So Far:

Eliza Dushku plays the lead character, Echo. She is a ‘doll’ but starts to become self-aware in her mind-wiped state. Eliza of course, is probably best know to Whedon fans as Faith the Vampire Slayer from the Buffyverse.

Tahmoh Penikett is playing Paul Smith. Cynical FBI agent who’s obsession with chasing the rumours and myth about The Dollhouse have lost him any chance at promotion. He’s also likely to serves as Echo’s ‘romantic foil’. Penikett is probably best know for his role as Helo on the brilliant Battlestar Galactica.

Fran Kranz is Topher Brink. Topher main role is to imprint the dolls with the memories for the their assignments. He’s a programming genius with a questionable moral centre… Fun to be around, but about as trustworthy as chocoholic in a sweetshop. I’ve personally never seen Fran Kranz in anything, but his best know in the US for the CBS show “Welcome to the Captain”.

Dichen Lachman is playing Sierra, the closest thing Echo has to a friend in the Dollhouse. Dichen Lachman is best know in the UK as Nurse Katya Kinski in Neighbours.

Enver Gjokaj plays Victor, another ‘doll’ and friend of Echo. Described as ‘everything from a young Errol Flynn to DeNiro when he’s active’.

Updated 05.04.08 British actress Olivia Williams is playing Adelle DeWitt, the Dollhouse’s cold as ice and ruthless, but protective boss. She would die before she showed anyone how lonely she is. If your trying to place the face, you may have seen Olivia Williams as Bruce Willis’s wife in The Sixth Sense, or in Rushmore with Bill Murray.

Updated 18.04.08 – Another Buffyverser, Amy Acker has joined the cast as Dr. Claire Saunders, the dolls doctor with an an acid wit (usually reserved for Topher). Amy of course, played the shy and geeky Fred and the awesomely powerful demon Illyria in Angel.

Updated 18.04.08 – Harry Lennix joins the cast as Boyd Langton the gruff, fatherly, ex-cop bodyguard of the dolls. Feels the dolls are being exploited, and hates himself for taking the job, however, would lay down his life to protect the dolls. Harry is probably best know for his role as Walid Al-Rezani in 24, and Jim Gardner in Commander in Chief.

Updated 18.04.08 – Last but not least, Miracle Laurie enters the Dollhouse as November, another doll, described as “a comforting, radiant presence, who tends to get fewer of the criminal gigs and more of the personal ones.”

It all looks like its shaping up nicely! I’m so looking forward to Joss coming back to the TV (Fox has ordered 7 episodes).

Joss Whedon’s Playing With A Dollhouse!

Joss Whedon’s returning to TV! – WOO and indeed HOOOOO!

As any regular reader will know know, here at Geektown we’re HUGE fans of Joss’s, and we say any news that he’s coming back to the small screen can only be good.

So what is it?

Well, it’s not in the Buffyverse. It does however, star a buffy alumni – The lovely Eliza Dushku.

It’s called ‘Dollhouse‘:

“Dollhouse stars Dushku as Echo, one of a group of secret agents living in a futuristic dorm. Each has the ability to be imprinted with custom personalities and abilities for special assignments. When they return, their newly acquired memories are wiped. The show follows Echo as she takes on a variety of assignments—some romantic, some adventurous, some uplifting, some illegal—and gains awareness of her role and confinement.”

Fox has given a seven-episode commitment for the show… Humm… We all know in the past Fox’s idea of commitment has been in the past… Joss says “It’s a brand new day over there. It’s a completely new bunch of people and they seem really intelligent and supportive.” I really really really hope your right. I hate to see another Firefly incident…

I’m totally psyched about getting a new Whedon run show (Tim Minear, Joss’s Angel & Firefly partner in crime, has been roped in too). Also happy to see Eliza Dushku in a new Whedon vehicle (happy to see Eliza in most things actually).

Read the full interview over at TV Week