Aisha Hinds has joined the cast of the much-buzzed about new drama Under the Dome, which is based on the 2009 Stephen King novel of the same name, and follows residents of a small town that is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field, as they search for answers as to what the barrier is, where it came from and when/if it will go away.

Hines will play Carolyn Hill, an L.A. entertainment attorney who becomes trapped in the small town, while driving through with her partner and their daughter, on the way to drop her off at a camp for troubled youth.

Hines joins Nicholas Strong as the second black actor added to the cast. Strong will play a character named Phil, described as a popular radio DJ and indie rock fan, charismatic, with a dark secret.

Also in the cast are Britt Robertson, Natalie Martinez, Alex Koch, Colin Ford and Jolene Purdy.

CBS Television Studios is producing the drama, which was picked up straight to series, in association with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television.

Niels Arden Oplev (Unforgettable, Sweden's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) will direct the first episode.