The “4400” reboot at The CW has cast Joseph David-Jones and Khaliah Johnson, Variety has learned.
The reboot was ordered to series at The CW in February. In the show, 4400 overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the last hundred years are all returned in an instant, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to analyze the potential threat and contain the story, the 4400 themselves must grapple with the fact that they’ve been returned with a few upgrades, and the increasing likelihood that they were all brought back now for a specific reason.
David-Jones will play Rev Johnson, who was raised in a powerful and affluent church family, and disappeared in the 1990s. While he is a man of true faith and compassion, he is accustomed to the power and clout afforded his position. He will emerge as a natural leader among the 4400.
Johnson will play LaDonna, a high maintenance Miami party girl who disappeared on her 21st birthday. While she at first comes across as spoiled and vapid, she will end up tapping into her own potential in ways she never expected.
David-Jones is no stranger to CW audiences, having appeared in over a dozen episodes of the network’s hit series “Arrow” as well as “Legends of Tomorrow.” His feature credits include “Detroit,” “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” and “Allegiant.”
He is repped by UTA and Luber Roklin Entertainment
Johnson is currently a senior at Carnegie Mellon University. She made her professional acting debut last summer in the Muny’s production of “Footloose.”
She is repped by Paradigm and Perennial Entertainment.
The reboot has been in development at The CW since 2018. Ariana Jackson will write and executive produce, with Anna Fricke and Laura Terry also executive producing. Erica Watson will direct and co-executive produce the pilot. CBS Studios will produce.
The original version of “The 4400” was created by René Echevarria and Scott Peters. It featured actors like Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Conchita Campbell, and also served as an early starring vehicle for Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. It ran for four seasons and 44 episodes on USA from 2004-2007.