Sony TV’s ‘Powers’ Taps Sharlto Copley to Lead, Michelle Forbes in “Retro” Role

Just last week saw Sony TV's forthcoming 'Powers' series adding its highest profile cast to date with comedian Eddie Izzard, but now the comic-adapted drama has entered a whole new district. Sharlto Copley has been tapped for the leading role in PlayStation's original 'Powers' series, along with 'The Killing' vet Michelle Forbes in a significant part.

Set to debut in December 2014 as a PlayStation original series, Sony's 'Powers' will see the 'District 9' star Copley as Christian Walker, described by Variety as "a dapper and charismatic character with a darkness and violence right at the surface but with a sense of buried integrity. Walker has the dissolute air of a faded rock star and the body of a battered heavyweight." Walker himself once operated as a powerful superhero, but lost his abilities fighting a supervillain, and since works with the 'Powers' department in law enforcement.

Elsewhere, genre favorite Forbes ('Orphan Black,' 'True Blood,' 'Battlestar Galactica,' you name it) will play the role of Retro Girl, the "undisputed super star of the Powers community. An icon of justice, selflessness, and business acumen, she has a cool, hard exterior with a fire right below the surface. Her willingness to put herself at risk for the good of others is matched only by her ability to manage her globe-spanning personal brand."

'The Following' star Susan Heyward has been cast in the lead role of detective Deena Pilgrim, alongside Izzard and 'Game of Thrones' star Noah Taylor's supervillain roles, and Olesya Rulin's teenage hero. Previously, the series was also revealed to have cast 'The Killing' star Max Fowler as Krispin Stockley, son to Christian Walker’s murdered partner and 'Breaking Bad''s Adam Godley as the bookish, respectful and secretive Captain Cross.

For those unfamiliar with ‘Powers,’ here's how Sony describes the superhero series based on Brian Michael Bendis' work:

In a nutshell, “Powers” is an edgy dramatic series that follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as Powers. Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, “Powers” asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?

Enter the men and women of the Powers Division, the brave people in charge of protecting humans like us and keeping the peace with these over-paid, commercialized, god-like men and women who glide through the sky imposing their power over the mortals who both worship and fear them.

In its first two (of 10) episodes written by executive producer Charlie Huston and directed by David Slade, 'Powers' will see Circle of Confusion return to executive produce alongside co-creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. Michael Dinner will remain as executive producer and director, with Huston and ‘Falling Skies‘ Remi Aubuchon executive producing under showrunners Bendis and Huston.

PSN users in the United States will be able to watch the first episode of “Powers” for free this December, while PS Plus members will be able to view the entire series for free. It'll be interesting to see if the superhero drama's high-profile cast will justify PlayStation's experiment with original series, but what do you think? Is Sharlto Copley the right choice for Christian Walker?