Exclusive: Joss Whedon's Red-Hot S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot Adds 'Deadly' New Agent

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SHIELD TV show Brett DaltonRelative newcomer Brett Dalton has joined the cast of Joss Wedon’s ABC pilot Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D., TVLine has learned exclusively.

The highly anticipated project is based on a peacekeeping group that appeared in various Marvel comics and in the summer blockbuster film The Avengers, which Whedon wrote and directed. The title’s acronym refers to a secret peacekeeping organization called  Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Dalton, whose credits include guest stints on Army Wives and Blue Bloods as well as a supporting role in National Geographic Channel’s forthcoming telepic Killing Lincoln, will play Agent Grant, one of  S.H.I.E.L.D.’s highly-skilled rising stars. He’s deadly, precise, and cool under fire — but not so great with the people skills.

Dalton joins previously cast Ming-Na and Clark Gregg, the latter of whom will reprise his big-screen role of agent Phil Coulson.

Whedon, who is directing the pilot, co-wrote the script with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. If ABC orders the pilot to series, all three will serve as exec producers alongside Jeffrey Bell and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb.



Comments (44)

  • Does anyone think this show will actually make it to air? Not that I’m against it, it’s just that big concept shows like this never really make it. Wonder Woman comes to mind. Charlie’s Angels failed miserably. Then again this show actually has someone who knows what they’re doing behind it in Joss Whedon, so who knows?

    Comment by Rrrrrr – November 27, 2012 03:43 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • It will get at least the 13-episode order and make it to air. The question should be, will it be good enough to sustain an audience to get the back-9 and make it through a season?

      Comment by Gene-Ohh – November 27, 2012 04:00 PM PST  Reply To This Post
      • It’s Joss’s show, and he just gave Disney, which owns ABC, The Avengers and he is going to be making The Avengers sequel. What Joss wants now, he can ask for and it will be given to him. Also, imagine how many fanboys and fangirls, not even including fans of the movies, will tune in.

        Comment by Blake – November 27, 2012 04:08 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • As has been said, this show will almost definetly make it to air. Based on the third higest grossing movie of all time, this show will probably get a 13-episode season. Wether or not it will succeed is the bigger question…

      Comment by Zorkel567 – November 27, 2012 04:06 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • It’s connected to one of the highest grossing movies of all time. The same guy who made that movie, and who also happens to have made some of the most popular cult shows of all time, is behind it. Words cannot describe how big a moron you would have to be to pass on it.

      Comment by Superhero – November 27, 2012 05:13 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • Comments like this make me question free speech, lol.

      Comment by Lauren – November 27, 2012 05:57 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • its connected to the third most successful movie of all time, being executive produced by the guy who wrote and directed said movie. im fairly certain its going to air, and it will air with a giant marketing campaign which will practically guarantee it will do well in its early episodes, then its just down to how well written and acted it is to sustain it going forward. bottom line expect this in the fall next year

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:40 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Have faith in Joss. He will deliver!

    Comment by Dan – November 27, 2012 03:45 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Joss Whedon has had one successful TV show and that only worked because it was on a network that 5 people watched and he managed to get 3 of those people. Everything else has failed miserably.

    Comment by Jason Castleman (@lethargicj) – November 27, 2012 03:55 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • Buffy. 7 seasons. Angel. 5 seasons. Firefly. Now a cult show. When it comes to movies: The Avengers. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. The Avengers sequel which he is also writing and directing.

      Comment by Blake – November 27, 2012 03:58 PM PST  Reply To This Post
      • Not to mention a Bidding war between 4 different networks for Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it’s initial contract expired.

        Comment by Tommy – November 27, 2012 04:11 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • He had a show go for 7 seasons and another show go for 5, had the biggest grossing movie of the summer AND a critical darling hit in theaters at the same time this year, and inspires loyalty in fans and cast and crew members. PLUS he’s got the faith of Disney behind him now, with a contract through 2015. Pretty sure this’ll do okay.

      Comment by Samantha – November 27, 2012 04:12 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • you’re an idiot.

      Comment by Ivy – November 27, 2012 05:29 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • one show lasted 7 seasons, another show lasted 5 seasons, another has gone on to become a cult hit which draws in new viewers all the time and even had a movie made to finish its stories. also i forgot to mention the huge bidding war that went down when the 7 season show switched channels during its run. not to mention the guy just wrote and directed the third most successful movie of all time and has the full weight of disney behind him for this show. yeah clearly everything has failed miserably, go back under your bridge troll

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:44 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Four out of five main characters have been cast, that leaves female lead Skye to be announced now.
    Summer Glau as Skye, make it happen Joss!

    Comment by Summer Glau admirer (@chrisdvanne) – November 27, 2012 04:05 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • How come no one has begged to ask the question or at the very least speculated as to HOW agent coulson is in the show seeing as how he “died” in the avengers?

    Comment by Kyle – November 27, 2012 04:11 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • There’s a whole subset of the fandom speculating as to how he’s survived: life-model decoys, maybe he’s the superhero Vision, maybe since we didn’t ACTUALLY see his body later they were able to revive him, etc. etc. I’m sure it’s something that’ll be addressed almost immediately – it’s Marvel. No one stays dead except for Uncle Ben.

      Comment by Samantha – November 27, 2012 04:14 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • 3 words: Life Model Decoy. Google it.

      Comment by Rock Golf – November 27, 2012 04:16 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • Also, there’s never been a guarantee the movie and TV series are in the same continuity. Think Buffy the movie versus Buffy the show

      Comment by Isaac – November 27, 2012 04:17 PM PST  Reply To This Post
      • Or it could be a prequel series to Avengers, set post-IM1 (when they got the acronym) and takes place during TIH, IM2, Thor and the present day scenes of CA:TFA, as sort of a “what else was going on while the Avengers were being built”.

        Comment by Ryan – November 27, 2012 11:05 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • Either big reveal he didn’t die in The Avengers, and Fury just let them believe he died, like he did with Cap’s trading cards, or this show will take place before The Avengers and we all know what Coulson’s fate will eventually be.

      Comment by Blake – November 27, 2012 04:17 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • It’s comic book reasoning and Joss Whedon. Remember, Buffy died twice. Earth logic doesn’t apply.

      Comment by Viv – November 27, 2012 08:55 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • three words “comic book death”, go look it up on wikipedia

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:46 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Don’t know if he can act, but he sure is pretty. And Joss can generally pick them.

    Comment by Renee – November 27, 2012 04:31 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Enver Gjokaj needs to be in this

    Comment by trev – November 27, 2012 04:46 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • YES! and we are running out of spots for Whedon alumni

      Comment by corpsaver – November 27, 2012 05:14 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • YES PLEASE. Actually, Enver Gjokaj needs to be in everything… but especially this!

      Comment by Ace – November 28, 2012 09:14 AM PST  Reply To This Post
  • So, a brown-haired version of Clay Quartermain, then?

    Comment by Sheldon W. – November 27, 2012 05:07 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Wonder if Cobie Smulders or even Sam Jackson will drop by once in a while?

    Comment by Tony – November 27, 2012 06:16 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • I have a feeling Smulders will be a regular the second himym ends…

      Comment by Tommy – November 27, 2012 06:41 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • sam jackson: unlikely, the guy would cost way too much money. cobie smulders: practically a guarantee as soon as how i met your mother ends

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:48 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • I think with all the Avengers hype, this series is likely to do well, especially in the 18-49 demographic it so caters to. Perhaps this is what ABC needs to get the men to start watching the network, and launch other male-related shows.

    Comment by OMG – November 27, 2012 06:44 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • If ABC were smart they would only order a 13 episode first season and launch it mid season. This gives the series time to really spend close attention to special effects and get the storyline tight so there isn’t any filler episodes. This has the potential to be a huge show for the network.

    Comment by Jared – November 27, 2012 08:23 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • This show has too much commercial potential to relegate it to midseason. That just isn’t a smart business decision.

      Comment by Superhero – November 27, 2012 08:32 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • this is the centrepiece of their fall schedule next year, no way would they hold it to mid season

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:49 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Get Alexis Bledel and Adam Brody for the hot, geeky sibling-like duo. It would be only fitting, they ARE after all arguably THE hottest TV geeks in history.

    Comment by pmill – November 27, 2012 10:18 PM PST  Reply To This Post
    • Hmm. I could be on board with this, I think. It’s been too long since Adam Brody’s been on my TV, and considering their resumes, there’s no question he and Alexis could handle Joss’s dialogue.

      Comment by Ace – November 28, 2012 09:20 AM PST  Reply To This Post
    • I thought they already cast those two roles…I know it isn’t on here but I thought I saw something….

      Comment by Rachel – November 28, 2012 06:03 PM PST  Reply To This Post
      • Yeah, they have been. Actors names are Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker.

        Comment by Erin – November 28, 2012 11:42 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Jeffery Bell worries me though. He ruined the 4th Season of Angel and the last season of Alias.

    Comment by jayjay – November 28, 2012 04:20 AM PST  Reply To This Post
  • Dear Santa Joss,

    Here is my Christmas wish list for SHIELD:

    1. Cobie Smulders
    2. Enver Gjokaj

    I have been a very good girl this year (assuming “good” is measured in number of Avengers tickets purchased).

    Sincerely,
    Ace

    Comment by Ace – November 28, 2012 09:16 AM PST  Reply To This Post
    • once the whole “is this the last season of how i met your mother” drama is finished we should no when cobie will show up.
      as to enver it would make a lot of sense since he cameoed in the avengers, theres a built in backstory there, maybe he could show up late season one as a recurring and get promoted for a potential season 2

      Comment by Alan – November 28, 2012 12:54 PM PST  Reply To This Post
  • It’s Joss Whedon. It will be brilliant and then get canceled right away. Cursed.

    Comment by Max – November 29, 2012 10:32 AM PST  Reply To This Post
    • so buffy didnt last 7 seasons and angel didnt last 5 then. also there is the whole connected to the third highest grossing movie of all time, and they have the whole weight of the disney marketing machine behind them. bottom line there is a 99% chance this will do well, the world has woken up to the genius that is wheadon

      Comment by Alan – November 29, 2012 10:54 AM PST  Reply To This Post

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