Roundup: Sci-Fi Central Casting

The new fall season is fast approaching, and you know what that means: casts being filled out with the jetsam of other series, and a few big names added into the mix as high-profile guests.

Touch--We've heard less about the future of the Fox's Touch than we he have the glossy new series about to impact on us, but a few new cast members have been announced for the sophomore season. Lukas Haas, a man possessed of one of the most intriguing faces in showbiz, has a talent for appearing beside famous actors in very different projects: he appeared opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in both Brick and Inception, and after having been in three episodes of Kiefer Sutherland's previous series 24 is now joining Touch as a regular character named Calvin, a genius working for the mysterious Aster Corps that is after Jake. Also boarding Touch as a regular is Said Taghmaoui (Caesar from Lost) as Guillermo Ortiz, a smart Jesuit priest-turned-killing machine, and Saxon Sharbino as Lucy, another gifted child. Adam Campbell (Harper's Island) and Ray Santiago (Raising Hope) have joined in recurring roles, as a friend of Calvin's and a hacker at BreakWire.

The Vampire Diaries--Kevin Williamson's attempt to expand the fiefdom he helped create with VD, The Secret Circle, didn't survive, but Phoebe Tonkin proved her worth as Faye well enough to get moved up to the big brother series. She'll have a recurring role as Hayley, who figures in Tyler's past and therefore spells trouble for his relationship with Coraline. Tonkin previously shared the screen with VD's Claire Holt on the mermaids series H2O.

Once Upon a Time--After news that we will be getting a Mulan and a Sleeping Beauty, now we get word of yet another classic character being adapted for the series: Colin O'Donoghue (who popped up in The Tudors as Duke Philip of Bavaria) is joining as villain Captain Hook. Michael Raymond-James (Réné Lenier from True Blood) will play "a mysterious new character."

666 Park Avenue--Three new recurring characters were announced for what promises to be a very full and fluid cast: Aubrey Dollar as Annie, an obituary writer who yearns to be a real journalist; Mili Avital, who had a recurring role on Damages, will play a lonely hearts woman who pines for romance and harbors a dark twisted secret; and Mike Doyle (who's appeared on Oz, Law & Order: SVU, and as Victor in A Gifted Man) will play Frank Alpern, who'll prove to be quite a powerful adversary to O'Quinn's evil Gavin.

Arrow--With Smallville gone, Arrow is now looking like a venue for DC Comics characters with tangential relationships to Oliver Queen to get live-action face-time. Along with China White and Dinah Lance, we'll also be getting Felicity Smoak, a tech expert at Queen Consolidated. She'll be played by Emily Bett Rickards.

Tags: Touch, The Vampire Diaries, 666 Park Avenue, Once Upon a Time Follow me on Twitter  |  Follow me on Facebook