UPDATE: Lucy Lawless has been confirmed to be starring as Isabel Harley.
Lucy Lawless is joining the cast lineup for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2.
Last Monday, TV Guide confirmed that the former star of Xena: Warrior Princess is signing on for a role that has yet to be specified.
This development may delight fans already familiar with Lawless' work. To her credit, the New Zealander has appeared in successful shows such as Spartacus, Parks and Recreations, and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. Lawless is not the first big name to be associated with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bill Paxton starred as John Garrett, the respected S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who turns out to be a HYDRA traitor. The actor has the dubious distinction of having been killed onscreen by three legendary sci-fi monsters -- an Alien, Predator, and Terminator robot. Not to be outdone, Paxton's character is blown to bits in the season finale by Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), using the 0-8-4 weapon recovered from Peru.
Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt, whose credits include The King of Queens and Ratatouille, will be returning to the show as Billy Koenig. In the finale, Billy's identical twin Eric was killed by Agent Ward (Brett Dalton). Both Koenigs were portrayed by Oswalt.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Two will premiere on ABC on Tuesday Sept. 23 at 9pm EST.
Marvel Film Crossovers May Have Helped 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'
Recently, ABC president of entertainment Paul Lee credited the film Captain America: Winter Soldier as having contributed to the success of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"It's wonderful to have assets, two on ABC, and, of course, we have the shows that we're producing for Netflix, that really are part of the Marvel universe, and I think it was groundbreaking the way we took stories and we moved them back and forth between theatrical and television," Lee said in an IGN interview.
Crossovers between the Marvel film series and TV show regularly occur. In fact, protagonist Agent Coulson appeared in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Avengers. Other cameos on the show include Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Cobie Smulder as Maria Hill, and Jamie Alexander as Lady Sif.
Future crossovers may be in the works, but both Marvel and ABC network remain silent for now.
