Deadline has reported that Jay Harrington (Summerland, Better Off Ted) and Patrick St. Esprit (Green Zone, We Were Soldiers) will be returning to the series S.W.A.T. Exiles as the characters they played on the original series. They will join Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds, The Brothers) in the pilot. Fans were heartbroken when they did not return initially, with Harrington only learning of the new series due to a text from Moore the day before the series was announced to the media. Harrington will reprise his role of Sergeant David ‘Deacon’ Kay and St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks.
According to Deadline, Harrington previously commented about a possible return to the series in the spin-off. “You know, you never say never, you never close any doors. I’d be interested to see if that’s the direction they go, and ‘How do they do that?’ That would certainly play a part. I’ve also had a great time directing over the years, and I’ll be open to that possibility if that call [to direct] comes as well. You never say never.”
Via Deadline, Sony Pictures TV head Katherine Pope (Dying For Sex, New Girl) had previously speculated about the possibility of their return. Whether or not they will have a long-term role in the series is unclear.
Deadline has reported that Exiles sees after a mission goes awry, and Sgt. Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson must return to help an experimental team of new recruits whose inexperience often comes into play during their dangerous assignments.
According to Deadline, production is planned to start in late September in Los Angeles, a welcome reprieve for much of the crew who made the original series possible.
Via Deadline, Jason Ning (Perception, Lucifer) will take on showrunning and executive producing duties alongside Neal H. Moritz (The Fast And The Furious, Out Of Time) and Pavun Shetty (Goosebumps, Gen V), both from Original Films, as well as James Scura (Colony, Legit), Jon Cowan (Bionic Women, Suits LA), and Moore.
Deadline has reported that in addition to his role in S.W.A.T., Harrington played Ted Crisp in Better Off Ted. He had previously worked on Desperate Housewives and Private Practice. In the feature film world, Harrington has had roles in American Reunion and High Low Forty.
According to Deadline, St. Esprit has had recurring roles in The Shield, Saving Grace, Chicago Code, Revolution, Scandal, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS: LA, Narcos, Ballers, and Unsolved. As for his feature credits, they include War Dogs, Super 8, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Last of Robin Hood, United 93, Green Zone, We Were Soldiers, HBO’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Smokin’ Aces, Draft Day, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence, and The Fate of the Furious.