Khandi Alexander has been cast as a series regular in the pilot for ABC’s Get Christie Love reboot, which stars Kylie Bunbury in the titular role.
She joins Julia Kelly, Camille Guaty and Thomas Cocquerel, who are also series regulars.
The reboot is based on the 1974 blaxploitation TV movie and short-lived series of the same name which centered around an undercover black woman detective who is set to overthrow a drug ring. It is a co-production between Lionsgate and Universal Televisions. The series is from Power creator Courtney Kemp.
In a passion project for Kemp which she started before showrunning Starz’s Power, several big players are involved here, including Vin Diesel who is a producer with Debra Martin Chase and Shana C. Waterman.
Written by Kemp, the reboot is “an action-packed, music-driven drama that centers on Christie Love, an African American female CIA agent who leads an elite ops unit. She transforms into whomever she needs to be to get the job done, especially when it’s down to the wire and the stakes are life and death. The high-adrenaline missions of the series are anchored by an emotional mystery about Christie’s first love — unearthing the truth about this relationship will be the biggest mission impossible of her life.”
The short-lived series and film originally aired on ABC. The late Teresa Graves first portrayed Christie Love. In the role, she was the first black woman to star in her own hour-long drama series.
Alexander’s character is Sarah, “a veteran intelligence agent and head of Christie’s unit. She was a badass back in her day and can summon those skills again when need be.”
Veteran actress Alexander has recently had a major recurring role on ABC’s Scandal as Maya, the mother of Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope. She has garnered an Emmy nomination for that role.
The casting news for Get Christie Love also revealed Alexander will appear in HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 with Michael B. Jordan and Laura Harrier. She was set to be one of the stars of CBS’s Instinct, but the role was recast with Sharon Leal.
H/T: Deadline
