BIONIC WOMAN Ryan Goes Bad Against MERLIN
Michelle Ryan fans take heart: she's joined the all-star cast of this fall's 13-part BBC series Merlin.
Despite having her show cancelled by the network earlier this year, former Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan will be back on NBC at some point in the future, when BBC1's forthcoming fantasy drama Merlin is imported to the US.
In the new 13-part series about the mythical wizard on the brink of adulthood, Ryan will play the wicked sorceress Nimueh. The veteran genre cast also includes John Hurt (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) as the voice of the Great Dragon, Merlin's mentor; Santiago Cabrera (Isaac Mendez on Heroes) as Lancelot; and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as King Uther Pendragon, the father of Prince Arthur.
The drama is set in the town of Camelot, in a time where magic has been outlawed, and features an antagonistic relationship between Merlin and the young Arthur.
Julie Gardner, the head of drama at BBC Wales, which commissioned the series, said, "In this new version, Merlin and Arthur are young contemporaries for the first time ever, bringing a much loved tale to a whole new generation with a fresh, youthful new look and approach for Saturday nights this autumn on BBC1."
Filming is currently underway in England, Wales and France, and show chiefs are promising "spectacular" CGI effects. Merlin begins broadcasting in the UK this September in the Saturday slot previously filled by Doctor Who and Robin Hood.
The sorceress will be Ryan's first role since Bionic Woman, which NBC dropped following disappointing ratings in the US.