The live-action adaptation of DC Comics property Dead Boy Detectives from HBO Max has finally found its main cast. According to Variety, the upcoming pilot will see George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri (The Lodge), and Kassius Nelson (Last Night in Soho) in the three lead roles.
Rextrew will be making his on-screen debut as Edwin Paine, while Revri is set to play fellow undead detective Charles Rowland. The proposed one-hour series will see both characters investigate crimes involving the supernatural on earth after deciding not to enter the afterlife. The two detectives will be joined by Crystal Palace (Nelson), a living person with psychic abilities.
Based on the DC Comics created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine debuted in 1991’s The Sandman #25 as the ghosts of two dead children. Paine was murdered at his boarding school in 1916, while Rowland was tormented by demonic spirits at the same school in 1990. After Rowland died, he decided to stay on Earth to go on adventures with Paine.
The three lead characters first made their debut on HBO Max's Doom Patrol, where Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant played Rowland and Paine, respectively. Madalyn Horcher played Palace in the same episode, but none of them will be present in the upcoming spinoff. It's unclear what lead to the recasting, but it seems the studio was not confident enough in launching an entire series on their shoulders. Nevertheless, those unfamiliar with the characters can get their first taste of them in the third season of Doom Patrol.
Variety also reports that the supporting cast includes Alexander Calvert (Arrow) as Thomas The Cat King, Briana Cuoco (The Flight Attendant) as Jenny, Jenn Lyon (Justified) as Esther, Yuyu Kitamura (The Expatriates) as Niko, and Ruth Connell (Supernatural) as the Night Nurse, a demon that controls the flow of souls in the afterlife. Connell made her debut as the character on Doom Patrol earlier this year.
If the pilot earns a series order, the Dead Boy Detectives will arrive on the HBO Max streaming service.