TV wants Kyle Chandler.  He passed on Terra Nova, and the talks between Chandler and FX to star in the series adaptation of the Brian Michael Bendis comic Powers unfortunately led to nothing.  He'll find a new home where he can be my TV dad soon enough.  In the meantime, let's talk about Powers, an exciting prospect even independent of Chandler.Powers centers on two homicide detectives who investigate murders that involve those gifted with superpowers.  Deadline reported last night that Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) will play rookie detective Deena Pilgrim, and tonight follows up with the news that Jason Patric (The Losers) is set as Deena's partner Christian Walker.  The casting (particularly Punch) is out there, just enough for me to give the benefit of the doubt to FX.  I love everything the network has produced in the past couple years.  The folks behind the camera are solid.  Charles Eglee (The Walking Dead) scripted the pilot, which Michael Dinner (Justified) will direct.  Plus, Bendis and Powers artist Michael Avon Oeming are on board as producers -- always a nice touch.Read the synopsis for Powers Vol. 1: Who Killed Retro Girl?, a collection of the first six issues, after the jump.[Update: We've been sent the full press release on the film, which includes the additional casting of Charles S. Dutton and Bailee Madison. Full release included after the jump]Here's the full press release:

JASON PATRIC TAKES THE LEAD ROLE IN POWERS

FX Drama Pilot Based on the Award-Winning Comic and Graphic Novel Series

by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

Pilot Co-Stars Include Lucy Punch, Charles S. Dutton and Bailee Madison

Pilot Written By Charles H. Eglee and Directed by Michael Dinner

Begins Production in July in Chicago

 

LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2011 – Film and stage star Jason Patric has signed on to star as “Christian Walker” in the FX drama series pilot Powers, based on the award-winning comic and graphic novel series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming:

"We've been asked repeatedly why it has taken so long to bring our series adaptation of Powers to fruition. It is for the same reason we cast Jason Patric in this role; we are aiming for something extraordinary,” said John Landgraf, President and General Manager of FX Networks. “The lead role of Detective Christian Walker is an extremely layered character and we needed Jason, who was so brilliant in films like Narc and Rush, to bring him fully to life. He is pitch perfect for this role and we are honored that he chose FX for his first foray into episodic television."

The pilot, written by Charles H. Eglee (The Shield, Dexter, The Walking Dead) and to be directed by Michael Dinner (Sons of Anarchy, Justified), begins production in July in Chicago.  Eglee and Dinner serve as Executive Producers along with Bendis, Oeming and David Engel.  Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions will co-produce.

Powers is a high concept crime procedural where the detectives police the brutal and sensational crimes surrounding super power beings, while illuminating the weaknesses and strengths of humanity in the process.  Powers follows the life of “Christian Walker” (Patric), a homicide detective devoted solely to cases that involve "powers" (people with superpowers).  The pilot also stars Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) as “Deena Pilgrim,” Walker’s partner; Charles S. Dutton (Roc) as Walker’s indefatigable boss, “Captain Cross”; and Bailee Madison (Just Go With It) as “Calista,” an acerbic 10-year-old girl drawn into Walker’s life.

Patric recently concluded a successful run on Broadway, starring in the revival of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play That Championship Season, with Chris Noth, Kiefer Sutherland, Brian Cox and Jim Gaffigan, directed by Gregory Mosher.  The play, originally presented in 1972, was written by Patric’s father, Jason Miller.

Patric is represented by David Unger of ICM, Jason Weinberg of Untitled, and Bloom Hergott.

Patric’s feature film debut came in 1987 when he appeared in the comedy-thriller The Lost Boys.  Other film credits include After Dark My Sweet, Rush, Geronimo: An American Legend, Sleepers, Narc, and Your Friends and Neighbors, which was the first feature Patric produced for his production company, Fleece.  Some of Patric’s other theater credits include the Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Neil LaBute’s Bash, Beirut, Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap, The Tempest, Henry V and Love’s Labor Lost.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 99 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, an established film library of acquired box-office hit movies, and an impressive lineup of acquired hit series.

Here's the synopsis for Powers Vol. 1: Who Killed Retro Girl?

Heroes glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire. Flamboyant villains attempt daring daylight robberies. God-like alien creatures clash in epic battle over the night-time sky. And on the dirty city streets below, homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim investigate the murders of the world’s most powerful and popular POWERS…

Walker has teamed up with rookie, Deena Pilgrim, to investigate the shocking murder of one of the world`s most popular icons, Retro Girl.

As the murder investigation takes them from the seediest underbelly the city has to offer to the gleaming towers that are home to immortal beings, hidden truths about Retro Girl come to light. Walker finds that to solve this crime, he may have to reveal a dark secret. [Amazon]