Luke Wilson has joined the cast of DC's streaming series Stargirl in a superhero role that, believe it or not, was written specifically for him. Wilson will play Stargirl's step-father Pat Dugan, and apparently he has Bottle Rocket to thank for the part.
"When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1996 and saw Bottle Rocket, I became a huge fan and admirer of Luke's. And I literally wrote this part for Luke, hoping that someday and somehow he'd play Pat Dugan. I only envisioned him. And now I feel like I won the lottery," said Geoff Johns, who will serve as executive producer and showrunner of Stargirl. The series has special meaning for Johns, as the character not only started his career as a comic book writer when he created her in 1999, but Stargirl was inspired by his late sister, who was killed in a plane explosion in 1996. I personally did not know that about Johns, and I imagine this series will be an incredibly cathartic experience for him, seeing his creation brought to life 20 years later.
Brec Bassinger will play the title character, a high school sophomore named Courtney Whitmore who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. The drama is said to reimagine Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America.
Wilson's Pat Dugan used to be known as Stripesy, who was the sidekick to a young hero known as The Star-Spangled Kid, and later Starman of the legendary JSA, though Pat has since left his sidekick life behind him. But when his new step-daughter discovers Pat's secret past and takes on Starman's legacy to become Stargirl, Pat is forced to come out of retirement and once again become a sidekick -- to his step-daughter -- this time piloting a 15-foot robot called Stripe.
Joel McHale will co-star as Starman, while Henry Thomas will play Doctor Mid-Nite and Lou Ferrigno will appear in a recurring role as Hourman,
In addition to Johns, Stargirl hails from executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Melissa Carter. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions and Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Johns is also writing the first episode of the series, which is expected to debut later this year.
Best known for his work with Wes Anderson, Wilson recently co-starred alongside Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in The Skeleton Twins, and opposite Olivia Wilde in Reed Morano's indie drama Meadowland. He'll soon be seen in Atom Egoyan's Guest of Honour and John Crowley's The Goldfinch, which also stars Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman. I've always liked Wilson and this is a nice role for him in a buzzy superhero show, as well as a coup for the project itself. He's represented by CAA.
