Comic book fans were briefly excited when it was announced that DC Comics’ Lucifer would be turned into a TV show—an excitement that lasted right up until Fox hastened to assure everyone that it would be a procedural. Nonetheless, the network is still creating the pilot, and now comes word that Fox has hired a new reigning devil, presumably freeing up Rupert Murdoch’s afternoons for golf or possibly waterboarding. Deadline reports that Wales-born actor Tom Ellis has been cast as the title protagonist in the potential Fox series.
Ellis comes to the pilot having most recently starred in Rush, the USA series about a doctor who rushed around a lot. His new job will find him playing the king of Hell who, bored with his days in Hades, decamps for Los Angeles and winds up helping the LAPD to punish criminals. It’s unclear whether the dark-haired actor will be forced to accept a dye job, as the comic book character was originally modeled after a young—and blonde—David Bowie. Either way, Fox would still like you to not worry, because it is deeply familiar with the source material. No, not the comics—Hell.
