NBC casts Michael Imperioli in Lincoln. The drama pilot is based on Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme book series, of which started with the 1997 novel The Bone Collector. From 1999 to 2007, Imperioli portrayed mobster Christopher Moltisanti on HBO’s The Sopranos. 

To date, 14 books in “The Bone Collector” series have been released, with the latest being The Cutting Edge (2018). The first book introduces a quadriplegic forensic criminalist named Lincoln Rhyme, who teams up with NYPD Patrol Officer Amelia Sachs to catch not only a serial killer, but also a copycat killer. In 1999, director Phillip Noyce adapted The Bone Collector for the big screen, with Denzel Washington portraying Rhyme and Angelina Jolie co-starring as Sachs. Produced for $48 million, the horror psychological thriller film earned over $151 million at the box office, but was poorly received by critics. In November 2018, NBC acquired the rights for a TV adaptation, and the pilot was officially ordered last January.

Related: Denzel Washington to Star in Serial Killer Thriller Little Things

Per Deadline, NBC has cast Imperioli as one of Lincoln’s main stars. He’ll portray Rick Sellitto, an NYPD detective who assists the title character. At 52 years old, Imperioli is often associated with his iconic HBO character, though he’s starred in several TV series since last appearing on The Sopranos. From 2008 to 2009, Imperioli starred on ABC’s Life on Mars as Detective Ray Carling, and he returned to ABC to play Detective Lou Fitch on Detroit 1-8-7. However, both series lasted only one season. Since then, Imperioli has appeared in Californication, Hawaii 5-0, Alex, Inc., and the new History Channel series Project Blue Book, of which features Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen in the lead role. In 2004, Imperioli won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (The Sopranos). 

Last week, NBC cast Russell Hornsby as Lincoln Rhyme. From 2011 to 2017, Hornsby starred as Detective Hank Grimm on the NBC series Grimm, a fantasy police procedural drama based on The History of The Brothers Grimm. Seth Gordon (The Good Doctor, The Goldbergs) will direct NBC's Lincoln pilot, and the script was written by VJ Boyd and Mark Bianculli, both of whom will also serve as co-executive producers. In the past, Boyd served as a writer-producer on FX’s Justified and CBS’ S.W.A.T., while Bianculli wrote and produced Joachim Rønning's 2017 TV movie Doomsday. 

For NBC, Imperioli adds a touch of familiarity for audiences. Moving forward, the casting for the character Amelia Sachs will be crucial for Lincoln's pilot success.

More: 8 Things Fans Should Know About The Bone Collector's Lincoln Rhyme

Source: Deadline