Snowpiercer TV Series Lands Hamilton Star, Doctor Strange Director

Since its initial release in 2013, Snowpiercer has achieved a unique following. The dystopian sci-fi film – based off of the popular graphic novel – has achieved a kind of cult-classic status, with fans hoping for future stories in the saga.

And now, TNT‘s highly-anticipated television adaptation of the film is one step closer to hitting screens – with some pretty significant names attached.

Entertainment Weekly announced earlier today that the Snowpiercer television series will be led by former Hamilton star Daveed Diggs. According to TNT‘s official press release, Diggs will be playing Layton Well, who is described as the following:

“[Layton is] a prisoner barely surviving the harsh conditions in the tail end of the train. A quiet thinker who spends his days sniffing the industrial-waste-turned-drug Chronole and tending to his cage full of rats, Layton becomes a reluctant participant in a struggle that could upend life on the train.”

Diggs won a Tony last year for originating the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the hit Broadway musical. Since leaving Hamilton, the actor has appeared on Black-ish, The Get Down, and is set to costar in the newest season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

The original film boasted an A-List cast such as Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris. While there is currently no other major casting announced for the Snowpiercer series, it does have a significant name behind the scenes as well.

Scott Derrickson, best known in the pop culture world for directing Marvel’s Doctor Strange, is set to executive produce the series, as well as direct the pilot episode. Other executive producers on the series will include showrunner Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Marty Adelstein (Prison Break, Teen Wolf), Becky Clements (Good Behavior), and original Snowpiercer director Bong Joon Ho.

While initial reports had believed that the series would start filming this past March, this first casting is an indication that production might be kicking off relatively soon. With Diggs and Derrickson now involved, the Snowpiercer series is certainly in good hands.