We've been keeping you informed on the many changes Life on Mars has undergone since dropping producer David E. Kelley and most of the cast earlier this year. The fantasy cop drama, based on the British show about a modern detective who mysteriously finds himself in 1973, has already pulled in some pretty big guns: The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli as a tough cop, and the great Harvey Keitel as the detective squad's violent boss.
Now EOnline is saying that Gretchen Mol is in final talks to play Annie, the squad's lone female. A plucky young woman who has to face off against sexism as well as crime, she's the only one who knows about the stuck-in-time detective's predicament. (The actress originally slated to play the role, equally gorgeous Rachelle Lefevre, was said to appear too modern for the period -- although she's currently demonstrating perfectly good '70s chops on Swingtown.)
Mol, of course, has done plenty of time-traveling through her movies, from Donnie Brasco to The Notorious Bettie Page to 3:10 to Yuma. She famously fell victim to the "Vanity Fair curse" after the magazine put her on its cover 10 years ago, predicting that she would become Hollywood's next big thing. But while she never quite achieved superstardom, she's been great in a long string of films -- and we think she'd be great in Life on Mars. Which is now shaping up to be the highest-star-powered show of the fall season.
Previously:
Life on Mars Just Keeps Getting Better
Life on Mars -- Can This Show Be Saved?