Six years after breaking hearts with his departure from General Hospital, Nathan Parsons (ex-Ethan Lovett) has landed a leading role in a primetime series poised to be the next big hit. The Australian-born actor is set to star in the CW pilot for Roswell, a reboot based on the late 1990's sci-fi series.
According to Deadline, the CW's version is also based on the Roswell High book series by Melinda Metz and follows Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason), a jaded biomedical researcher and the daughter of undocumented immigrants who reluctantly returns to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, NM. Liz, who's haunted by a tragic incident, discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush Max (Parsons) who is now a police officer: He's an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.
Lily Cowles (BrainDead) is set to portray polished and restrained Isobel, who wasn't meant for small-town life but lives it with all the grace and enthusiasm she can muster in order to keep her true origins a secret. Michael Vlamis (New Girl) will play Michael, a troubled but brilliant young man who survived a violent childhood and now is secretly driven to find a way to escape Earth and the humans who have failed him in order to return to a mysterious home he's never known. Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars) plays Sgt. Alex Manes. After experiencing his fair share of psychological and physical trauma, Alex returns home from the Middle East and aims to adhere to his father's expectations, abandoning his dreams and the possibility of a future with the man he loves. Heather Hemmens (If Loving You Is Wrong) will play Maria, Liz's fun, free-spirited former best friend and social media maven who is oblivious to the realities of Roswell.
The original version of Roswell aired on UPN from 1999 to 2002 and starred notable names like Katherine Heigl, Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Adam Rodriguez, and Colin Hanks.
Parsons played the role of GH's Ethan from 2009 to 2012 and made brief appearances in Port Charles in 2013 and 2015. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Younger Actor category for the role in 2012. Some of his other credits include HBO's True Blood, ABC's Once Upon a Time, and the indie film Western Justice.
UPDATE (July 27, 2018): The first trailer for the Roswell reboot has been released, along with a premiere date. Or rather, a premiere estimate. The series will debut sometime in 2019.
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