The FBI: International cast is building up.
CBS has just announced the three leads for the second spin-off of the hit drama. Luke Kleintank (The Man in the High Castle), Heida Reed (Poldark), and Vinessa Vidotto (Lucifer) will play the lead characters in the thrilling new series on an international team of agents, according to Deadline.
The FBI franchise goes global
With FBI and Most Wanted established as hits, it’s little wonder CBS is trying to transform this into an NCIS-level franchise. They thus ordered International right to series in May.
Rather than wait for a typical pilot or even “backdoor pilot” (as was done with Most Wanted), this new series will premiere as part of a big three-part crossover event this fall.
It will focus on the FBI International Fly Team unit as they “take down international threats using their intelligence and strength.” This means relying more on their wits as they are prevented from using guns when abroad.
The setup is reminiscent of the short-lived Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders spin-off, although this will hopefully have a longer life. It promises to have more action than the usual FBI shows and showcase the team’s clashes with international law enforcement.
Who are the FBI International stars?
Kleintank will play the head of the unit. The actor is known for his role as intern Finn on the long-running Fox procedural Bones. He also starred as Jon Blake in Amazon’s sci-fi series The Man In The High Castle and Travis on Pretty Little Liars.
Reed will play his second-in-command. The Icelandic actress is best known for her role in the BBC drama Poldark, and this will mark her first major American TV series.
Vidotto is an eager new member who may be the audience’s “entry” into the team and their jobs. Vidotto played the warrior angel Remierl on Lucifer and recently appeared in HBO’s comedy Hacks.
No names for any of the characters have been revealed.
The decision to cast lesser-known actors for the leads is intriguing. The previous two FBI series had some familiar TV actors like Jeremy Sisto and Julian McMahon. It appears the producers may want actors without the baggage of previous roles, so audiences connect to their International characters better.
In association with CBS Studios, FBI: International is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television. Wolf serves as an executive producer alongside Chicago Fire creators Derek Haas and Matt Olmstead. Wolf Entertainment’s Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski will also executive produce with director/executive producer Michael Katleman.
It’s expected the series will be filming over the summer on location in Europe. And it’s set to start shooting in Hungary.
It’s expected that more cast members will join to fill out the team as the FBI franchise prepares to reach a global audience.
FBI International premiering this fall on CBS.