Richards Cast in Joss Whedon’s “S.H.I.E.L.D” Series Pilot

J. August Richards may soon have a super(power) role on television…

The 39-year-old Afro-Panamanian-American actor and former Angel star has reportedly been cast in Joss Whedon’s in ABC’s Avengers spinoff series S.H.I.E.L.D., according to TVLine.com.

J. August Richards

Richards has been reportedly cast in a “super top-secret role,” but no further details are available at this time.

The “S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot completed shooting in February, which means Richards may have been secretly involved throughout the production, was brought in to film pickups or reshoots after production wrapped, or has already been contracted to appear in future episodes if and when the show inevitably earns a full-season pick-up from ABC (likely around the network’s annual upfront presentation to advertisers in mid-May).

He’ll join Clark Gregg as Marvel movie mainstay Agent Phil Coulson, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, a master in biology and chemistry; Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, a technology and weapons guru; Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, an expert pilot; Chloe Bennet as the “witty and charming” Skye and Brett Dalton as “cool under fire” Agent Grant Ward.

Despite the show’s place in the Marvel universe, Whedon is on record as stressing the need for “S.H.I.E.L.D.” to feature new characters.

“It needs to be its own thing,” said Whedon. “It needs to be adjacent [to the MCU] but you don’t want to do a show where you’re constantly going, ‘Iron Man just left, but he was totally here a minute ago.'”