Well, with "Eastern Promises 2" looking like his next feature film, David Cronenberg will take a quick break and move to the small screen first. He's already going to make a rare acting gig in the SyFy pilot "Rewind," and he's got his own TV show brewing in "The Knifeman" which has now found a lead star.
Tim Roth has signed on to the project, which was first announced last year, and is now gearing up to be taken to networks. Executive-produced by Cronenberg, who will also direct the pilot, the show is based on the book of the same name by Wendy Brooks, and follows a doctor in the very early days of medicine who still stop at nothing to "uncover the secrets of the human body." So an old timey, body horror version of "House"? Sure, we'll go with that. Emmy-nominated writer-producer Rolin Jones ("Boardwalk Empire," "Friday Night Lights," "Weeds") penned the script with Media Rights Capital ("House Of Cards," "Elysium") backing the project.
There is one small wrinkle: Roth is also committed to an untitled project at FX from one of the showrunners on "Lie To Me" and if that goes to pilot, he will have to back out of that and take on a producing role instead. Roth and Cronenberg seem like a great combo, so we're glad that of the two, "The Knifeman" is the one taking priority in Roth's schedule. [Deadline]