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Casting Couch: Lucy Hale Takes Over for Mae Whitman on "Bionic Woman"

The guessing game to see who would replace poor Mae Whitman in Bionic Woman is over.

Lucy Hale (The Apostles) has been cast in Bionic Woman, where she'll play Jamie's troubled younger sister, a role originated by Mae Whitman (Arrested Development). It was widely known that Whitman would be replaced but many thought the role would be rewritten to make Jamie's sister a hearing role.

Not so, according to the Hollywood Reporter, who reports that the role will still be that of "Sommers' deaf younger sister." Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, especially as I don't believe the producers would cast another hearing actress in a deaf role.

UPDATE: Hale's character, Becca, will not be hearing impaired and the character will now have a proficiency for computer hacking. (Hmm, Veronica Mars' Mac was too busy?)

Hale, who will be a regular on the series, joins fired Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, who will board Bionic Woman for five episodes this season.

Washington's role? An enigmatic man working for the vaguely government-controlled black ops division that created Jamie's bionic parts. It's unclear what exactly his motives are but it's he who begins to instruct Jamie in the use of her new abilities.

Let's just hope those abilities don't include on-set outbursts or false mea culpas.

Comments

Carrie said…
I kind of liked Lucy Hale in her appearance on How I Met Your Mother, but this is definitely curious. Lucy is "hotter" than Mae Whitman. Could that be the reasoning? Mae is a fine actress who could have been interesting for the role as written, but I have a feeling the role is being reimagined as more of a "mainstream" role and less goth.

Hmm. For me, the Bionic Woman pilot had a lot of problems but I don't see them being solved by this recast and the addition of Isaiah Washington.
It didn't help that they butchered Mae Whitman's hair and made her look like a hedgehog. Poor Mae Whitman!
Anonymous said…
Well no surprise...they did not need the stellar acting that only someone such as Mae could deliver, when they decided that the character would no long be deaf. Those who saw the original pilot would have not known mae was acting...she was just amazing. Lucy is just there to play a bratty teen...not that hard. Nothing against her but shame on NBC for taking the usual stereotypical way. Lucy will barely see much camera time as has already been the case. Mae is guest starring in ER and Law and Order SVU and did a movie as Diane Lane's daughter with Richard Gere since the pilot of "Bionic" Also booked a 4 picture deal as the voice of Tinkerbelle. She is an accomplished voice artist as well. So dont cry for Mae Whitman...I would not even use the word "poor" in any sentence that involves mae whitman. Go Mae...Your the best :)

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