EXCLUSIVE: TL Thompson (Straight White Men), Cory Jeacoma (Power Book II: Ghost), Ireon Roach (School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play), Derrick A. King (Call Your Mother) and newcomer Autumn Best are set as series regulars in 4400 (formerly known as The 4400), the CW’s reimagining of the 2004 USA Network sci-fi drama series.
4400 hails from Riverdale co-executive producer Ariana Jackson and Anna Fricke, who successfully rebooted Walker, Texas Ranger for the CW.
In the new version, 4400 overlooked, undervalued or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the last hundred years are all returned in an instant, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to analyze the potential threat and contain the story, the 4400 themselves must grapple with the fact that they’ve been returned with a few…upgrades, and the increasing likelihood that they were all brought back for a specific reason.
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Thompson will play Dr. Andre, a transgender male and doctor from 1920s Harlem. He uses his skills to help treat the 4400 and while it takes him a while to adjust to 2021, he catches on quickly that the 4400 may be perceived as a threat.
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Jeacoma will portray Logan, a loving and supportive husband and new father whose wife, Shanice, suddenly goes missing in 2005. Left to raise their daughter alone, he is shocked when Shanice returns after 16 years — without having aged a day.
Roach will play Keisha, a by-the-book parole officer who is called in as part of the government response to the 4400. Due to personal past tragedy, she is worried about the dangers these people could pose to society at large.
King will portray Rev Johnson, raised in a powerful and affluent church family and who disappeared in the 1990s. While he is a man of true faith and compassion, he is accustomed to the power and clout afforded his position. He will emerge as a natural leader among the 4400.
Best will play Mildred, a smart and observant teenager from the 1970s who has no idea how she got to 2021 Detroit. But she quickly finds a couple allies among the 4400 and seems surprisingly content to have left her past life behind.
They join previously announced cast Joseph David-Jones and Khailah Johnson. David-Jones, who was previously cast and announced as the role of Rev. Johnson, has been moved to the role of Jharrel.
Jackson wrote the pilot episode, which will be directed/co-executive produced by Erica Watson. Executive producing the series are Jackson, Fricke, Laura Terry and Sunil Nayar. CBS Studios, which was behind the original series, is the studio.
Thompson won the Drama Desk Award in 2020 for Unique Theatrical Experience for their work on the Vineyard Theater’s Is This A Room, as well as starring in Straight White Men at Broadways’ Second Stage Theater. They also appeared in the Frameline Audience Award Winner short form series These/Thems, as well as recurring on the independently financed TV series The Hunted: NYCSS. Additionally, Thompson is the voice of a new transgender character in the Magic The Gathering video game. Thompson is repped by Principal Entertainment LA.
Jeacoma recurs on Starz’s Power spinoff Ghost. He recently finished his Broadway debut, closing out the Tony-winning show Beautiful, in the male lead role of Gerry Goffin. He is repped by Buchwald.
Roach is a Chicago-native and BU graduate who was most recently seen in School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play with SpeakEasy Stage Company and Laughs in Spanish (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre). She made her feature film debut in Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin and can be seen in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. Roach is repped by Paonessa Talent Agency.
King, a standout performer in the 2018 ABC Discovers showcase, most recently recurred on ABC comedy Call Your Mother. He previously starred in the limited series Baselines written, directed, and produced by Nate Parker. King is repped by Encompass.
Best is a high school senior attending an arts academy in Southern Utah. She has been performing on stage regionally since she was 4. 4400 marks her on-screen acting debut. Best is repped by Paradigm and SAKS&.