Strathairn to star in Syfy pilot 'Alphas'

NEW YORK, July 6 (UPI) -- Syfy says Hollywood actor David Strathairn has signed on to star in its TV action-adventure pilot "Alphas."

The casting was announced Tuesday by Mark Stern, executive vice president of original programming at Syfy and co-head of content for Universal Cable Productions.

"We're honored to have an actor of David's versatility, caliber and renown join 'Alphas,'" Stern said in a statement. "With his incredible range of work in theater, feature films and television, he is the perfect choice to play the complex and nuanced Dr. Rosen."

Slated to begin production next month in Toronto, "Alphas" follows "a team of ordinary citizens who possess extraordinary and unusual mental skills. Using physical feats and uniquely advanced mental abilities, this unlikely team takes the law into their own hands and uncovers what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve," Syfy said in a synopsis of the pilot.

Strathairn's film credits include "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "The Spiderwick Chronicles," "Harrison's Flowers," "Sneakers," "The Firm," "L.A. Confidential," "Dolores Claiborne" and "Eight Men Out."