David Tennant, star of ITV's incredibly addicting drama Broadchurch, is set to star in a very familiar role. While many fans of Tennant know that he will be reprising his most famous role as the 10th Doctor on the time traveling epic, Doctor Who, he will also be reprising another role that many might find hard to believe.

David Tennant will be reprising his role as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy for the American remake of Broadchurch. Tennant has already received excellent reviews as the sad, but talented Inspector on the ITV version. It looks like Tennant will try to make himself a household name in the states - and not just with fans of Doctor Who.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the new version of Broadchurch will have Tennant play an American detective who acts as the lead investigator on the case of a murder in a small town. There is no word yet if the American remake will have the same plot as the original series (a problem that plagued AMC's The Killing), but its safe to say that the US edition will borrow some of the thematic elements that made the UK show a hit.

Fox had already announced that it was going to remake the popular murder mystery drama and that it would premiere in the 2014-2015 season. The creator of the original Broadchurch, Chris Chibnail, will be writing the pilot for Fox's remake. While seasoned television and film producers, Dan Futterman and Anya Epstein, have signed on as executive producers and showrunners.

Broadchurch season 1
'Broadchurch'

Having Tennant reprise his role as Detective Inspector Hardy is an exciting decision by Fox. Tennant is a very captivating actor who stole almost every scene he was in on ITV Broadchurch. Still, it is surprising that Tennant was cast in the American version of the detective. While it is a smart choice for Fox, usually American remakes of foreign television programs try to distance themselves from the original by recasting the main characters. Maybe Fox wants Tennant's already large fan base to watch the new series but, even if they do, it's still a unique situation. The real question is, will Tennant reprise his role in the second season of the original Broadchurch? The second season is being planned, but the return of Tennant and co-star Olivia Colman have not been announced.

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to watch the original series, which re-aired here in the states on BBC America, its definitely worth a watch. The murder mystery series was surprising and suspenseful, with the stellar cast giving excellent performances. Screen Rant recently gave the first season finale a phenomenal review, even stating that Broadchurch could be the best murder mystery since Twin Peaks

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Although the first season of Broadchurch is over, you can catch David Tennant appear on the simulcasted Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, "The Day of the Doctor" on November 23, 2013.

The US version of Broadchurch will premiere in 2014 on Fox.

Source: Entertainment Weekly