Frank Darabont's L.A. NOIR Pilot to Star Milo Ventimiglia

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Frank Darabont's L.A. NOIR Pilot to Star Milo Ventimiglia and THE WALKING DEAD Cast Member

By Dave Trumbore

Published Feb 22, 2012

Frank Darabont's L.A. NOIR Pilot to Star Milo Ventimiglia. The HEROES alumnus will join an actor from THE WALKING DEAD for the new crime drama on TNT.

Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) is making the jump from network to cable television in Frank Darabont’s (The Walking Dead) TNT drama pilot, L.A. Noir. Set in the 1940s and 50s, L.A. Noir is billed as a fast-paced crime drama based on the book, “L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City” by author, John Buntin. Darabont will write, direct and produce L.A. Noir and will reunite with a cast member from AMC’s hit series, The Walking Dead. Hit the jump to see more on L.A. Noir and just who may be leaving The Walking Dead. We’ll warn you before any potential spoilers.

Deadline (link also contains the spoiler) reported

on Ventimiglia’s addition to L.A. Noir, which is based on the true story of conflict between the LAPD and the criminal element. The main combatants are Police Chief William Parker and mob boss Mickey Cohen, a former boxer who rose through the ranks of the underworld. Ventimiglia is set to play Ned Stax, a former marine who served with Joe Teague during WWII and is now a young lawyer working as a “fixer” for the mob. Just who is Joe Teague, you ask? The Walking Dead fans, look no further if you don’t want your day ruined. We've previously posted this news, so if you've read about it before, rest assured it's probably the same actor/character you're thinking of.

SPOILER after The Walking Dead image:

Joe Teague will be played by Jon Bernthal of The Walking Dead fame. Teague is the show's main protagonist, a cop who looks into corruption in the LAPD and ties to criminals. We reported this back in January to the chagrin of many a Shane fan. However, just because Bernthal is going to star in the TNT drama doesn’t necessarily mean that he will definitely be leaving The Walking Dead via zombie bite or poorly aimed gunshot. As a secondary (and arguably, main) antagonist to Andrew Lincoln’s character on the show, it’d be hard for me to see him leaving any time soon. However, Shane has gotten increasingly more bananas…and yes, I have read the comics. What do you think: can Bernthal shoulder both shows or will he leave his zombie-killing days behind him, one way or another?