Eyeing a return to television a year after the finale of “24,” Kiefer Sutherland has taken the lead role in Fox drama pilot “Touch” from Tim Kring.
Meanwhile, Minnie Driver, who co-starred on FX drama “The Riches” in 2007-08, will topline CBS drama pilot “Hail Mary.”
Sutherland and Kring are exec producing “Touch” with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope. Drama tells the story of a father who discovers that his autistic and mute son can predict events before they happen.
Kring himself is looking for a return to broadcast after the 2010 series finale of “Heroes,” which he exec produced for NBC.
Driver’s “Hail Mary” is a buddy drama set in Atlanta, revolving around a suburban single mom mom who teams with a streetwise hustler to solve crime. Project hails from Joel Silver and Warner Bros. TV.
Feature scribe Jeff Wadlow (“Never Back Down”) penned the pilot and will exec produce with Silver and Ilene Chaiken (“The L Word”). Brad Silberling is on board to direct.
Before settling on the CBS drama, Driver had been circling the NBC comedy pilot “Free Agents.”
ABC marched in the casting parade with Malcolm Barrett (“Better Off Ted”) in comedy pilot “Other People’s Kids” and Diana Maria Riva (“The Good Guys”) in laffer “Lost and Found.”
Barrett will play the supporting role of Magnus in “Kids,” which tells the story of a 32-year-old man who falls in love with an older divorcee with two children. Peter Traugott and Stacy Traub are exec producing the pilot, written by Hunter Covington.
Riva will play Rosie in “Lost and Found,” about a woman whose 18-year-old son whom she had given up for adoption reenters her life. Marisa Coughlan wrote the pilot, with Jeff and Jackie Filgo exec producing.
ABC had previously cast Alan Tudyk in “Suburgatory,” a satirical horror-comedy set in the suburbs.
In other recent pilot casting news, Jason Isaacs joined up for NBC drama pilot “REM,” about a cop living in two parallel realities. Issacs’ former “Brotherhood” co-star Jason Clarke is currently topping Fox’s “The Chicago Code.”
Also, Dave Foley has joined the cast of CBS comedy pilot “How To Be a Gentleman.” The “Kids in the Hall” and “News Radio” vet joins writer-actor-executive producer David Hornsby and actress Nancy Lenehan in the laffer, with Ted Schachter exec producing and Pam Fryman directing.
CBS has also cast Eva Amurri (“Californication”) in “The Doctor” with Christine Lahti; Jenn Proske in “Home Game”; and Judy Marte, Tom Reed and Star Sands in “Rookies.”
