CBS' long gestation project, "Star Trek: Discovery," has finally found its female lead. "The Walking Dead" actress Sonequa Martin-Green has landed the role.
Deadline reports that after being on the hunt for months, producers of the scifi show have finally cast the actress fit to play their lead. Martin-Green will play Lt. Commander Rainsford, a character who was previously described by former showrunner Bryan Fuller as a "sensitive her." The actress' casting comes from the producer's idea to introduce a non-white female lead in an effort to be a more diverse series.
Martin-Green is also a series regular on AMC's hit series, "The Walking Dead," where she plays Sasha. After her casting on Discovery broke, it is now a big question if Sasha will be the next character on the zombie drama's death list.
Although Entertainment Weekly reported that she will remain as a regular, the site did not address if she will stick around just until season 7 wraps up. Usually, actors who land lead roles in big projects like Star Trek eventually departs their ongoing shows due to scheduling conflicts. In the case of Martin-Green, it's yet to be determined if she will go the same direction.
For now, it looks like "Star Trek: Discovery" is getting in good shape. In addition to Martin-Green, the show has also recently added Chris Obi, Shazad Latif and Mary Chieffo as fan-favorite Klingons. They will be joined by previously cast Doug Jones as Starfleet Science Officer Lt. Saru, Anthony Rapp as fungus expert Lt. Samets and Michelle Yeoh as Starfleet captain Georgiou.
Martin-Green's lead role on Discovery will mark as a reunion project between her and CBS after playing a role on hit legal drama, "The Good Wife." She has also appeared on ABC's "Once Upon A Time."
CBS will air the premiere of "Star Trek Discovery" in May 2017. Subsequent episodes be available for streaming exclusively to subscribers of CBS All Access.
