Taylor Schilling will star in NBC Pilot from producer Dick Wolf
Taylor Schilling has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot ‘What the Dead Know’ Variety has learned.
The pilot was picked up by NBC in January and is executive produced by NBC cornerstone Dick Wolf. It is based on the memoir of the same name by former New York City medical examiner Barbara Butcher. The logline for the show reads: “Death Investigator Ava Ledger (Schilling) is very good with dead bodies. It’s the living that give her trouble. ‘What the Dead Know’ follows Ava as she works with the NYPD to solve their toughest cases.”
Schilling is best known for her role as Piper Chapman in the groundbreaking Netflix series ‘Orange Is the New Black’. Her work on the show earned her an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. Since then, she has appeared in shows like “Dear Edward” on Apple TV, “Pam & Tommy” on Hulu, “Poker Face” on Peacock and the AMC animated series “Pantheon.” Schilling also appeared in films such as ‘Family’, ‘The Lucky One’ and ‘Argo’.
She is repped by Gersh, Untitled and Goodman Genow.
“What the Dead Know” is written and produced by Beth Rinehart. Wolf is executive produced through Wolf Entertainment along with Tom Thayer, Peter Jankowski and Anastasia Puglisi. Kevin Plunkett, Rebecca McGill and Butcher are co-executive producers. Universal Television, where Wolf has an overall agreement, will produce.
With the casting, NBC has secured the leads for all of its drama pilots this season. As previously announced, David Boreanaz will helm the network’s attempt to reboot “The Rockford Files,” while fellow “Bones” alum Emily Deschanel will star in an untitled crime profiler drama pilot. In addition, Damon Wayans Jr. to star in the pilot ‘Puzzled’ about a man with Acquired Savant Syndrome. The NBC drama pilot “Protection,” which is described as an ensemble, recently starred Peter Krause in a leading role.
