Just last week Marvel revealed the casting of the six young leads for
Runaways, it’s the first series for the streaming service Hulu. Today, the cast has grown considerably!
James Marsters (
Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and
Kevin Weisman (
Alias,
Scorpion) are among the more notable members of the new cast, who make up the evil cabal known as The Pride. Joining them are
Kip Pardue, Ryan Sands, Annie Wersching, Angel Parker, Brittany Ishibashi, James Yaegashi, Brigid Brannagh and
Ever Carradine as the parents of the teenage leads.
Sands and Parker will portray Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder, parents to Rhenzy Feliz’s Alex. Geoffrey is described as “a man defined by the grueling path he’s taken to achieve his self-made success. A hulking presence, Geoffrey can effortlessly shift from approachable father to intimidating strategist with his son Alex.” His wife will be portrayed as “a successful lawyer, is deliberate and calculating in both her words and actions. But when it comes to her family, she’s fiercely loyal and a loving mother to her son Alex.” In the comics, the Wilders, lead by Geoffrey’s intimidating reputation, were crime kingpins in LA and ran everything from drugs to gambling in the city.
Kip Pardue and Annie Wersching will bring the Deans to life. Their daughter, Karolina (played by Virginia Gardner), appears to have about the best life any teenager could want. Wersching’s Leslie Dean is described as “a complicated beauty, is a poised and skilled leader. Clear-minded, focused, and charismatic, Leslie draws in devoted allies and followers who are taken by her success and charm, particularly with her daughter Karolina.” Her husband Frank is “a former teen star who rode a short-lived movie career and is now teeming with insecurity. Floundering in his professional career as an actor, Frank is seeking to renew purpose in his life while being a father to Karolina.” The Deans keep an other-worldly secret from their daughter while serving as members of the Pride.
The role of Tina Minoru was recast for the series. Actress Leslie Duan played Minoru in Doctor Strange, but now Brittany Ishibashi is stepping into the role of the powerful sorceress. Minoru will appear as “a perfectionist “tiger mom.” In her professional life, she is a brilliant innovator and ruthless CEO. Emotionally, she is less confident, often shying away from difficult conversations with her daughter Nico and careful to avoid explicit displays of her feelings.” Her husband Robert, played by Yaegashi is “a gentle and brilliant beta, the Woz to his wife’s Jobs. Warm and feeling, Robert sometimes struggles with being married to a woman who so forcefully barricades her emotions while caring about Nico.” Their daughter Nico, played by Lyrica Okano, is destined for great and powerful things.
Gregg Sulking was cast last week as Chase Stein, the groups’ handsome jock. His parents, Victor and Janet, played by James Marsters and Ever Carradine, both geniuses in their own right, have very differing opinions of their son. Victor will be “an engineering genius who may just save the word from itself. Electric cars, space travel; the military and NASA both look to him for answers. As a father to Chase, Victor has lofty expectations for his son, and when they aren’t met, his retribution can be fierce.” Carradine’s Janet seems to be “a perfect PTA mom. Harboring a brilliant mind of her own, she has made deep sacrifices for her husband’s world-changing career. Though she hides it for the wellbeing of her son Chase, Janet longs for more from her life.“
Ariela Barer’s Gert Yorkes’ family will certainly have one of the great surprises of the show if they follow the Runaways series. Her father Dale, played by the brilliant Kevin Weisman, is described as ” a beardy, dad-core bioengineer. Incredibly science-minded, he has a deep love for his family but oftentimes falls short at knowing the right things to say to Gert.” His wife Stacey, played by Brigid Brannagh will be “an absent-minded and professorial bioengineer. Perpetually dawning Birkenstocks and a messy bun, Stacey utilizes a progressive approach to her parenting style to Gert.” Their daughter is certainly one of the more tragic characters in the series but is more than capable of providing some awesome moments if they stay true to her arc.
