British actress Perdita Weeks is set as the female lead opposite Jay Hernandez in CBS’ Magnum P.I. pilot from Peter Lenkov, Davis Entertainment, CBS TV Studios and Universal TV Studios.
Co-written by Lenkov and fellow Hawaii Five-0 executive producer/co-showrunner Eric Guggenheim and directed by Justin Lin, the reboot of the classic 1980s Tom Selleck series will feature the same central quartet of characters as the original, but instead of four guys, it consists of three men and a woman, with Jonathan Higgins reconceived as Juliet Higgins (Weeks).
The new Magnum P.I. follows Thomas Magnum (Hernandez), a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. With help from fellow vets Theodore “TC” Calvin and Orville “Rick” Wright, as well as that of disavowed former MI-6 agent Juliet Higgins, Magnum takes on the cases no one else will, helping those who have no one else to turn to.
Weeks’ Higgins is the “majordomo” (i.e., property manager) for the large Hawaiian estate of writer Robin Masters, for whom Magnum ostensibly works security and lives in his guest house. She is commanding, confident, tough, uses sarcasm to deflect emotion and is hard to get to know — but it’s worth it in the end.
Lin and Danielle Woodrow executive produce via Lin’s Perfect Storm Entertainment, along with Lenkov and Guggenheim and John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment.
Weeks’ recent TV credits include a recurring role on Showtime’s Penny Dreadful and a guest spot on Grantchester. On the feature side, Weeks recently starred in Universal’s As Above, So Below. She’s repped by UTA.
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