In early 2016, Freeform announced their plans to bring the British cult superhero television series ‘Misfits’ created by Howard Overman to America under the guidance of ‘Gossip Girl’ creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Following a group of young offenders sentenced to work community service that obtain superpowers from an electrical storm, the original show spawned a number of stars including Robert Sheehan from ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’, Joseph Gilgun of AMC’s ‘Preacher’, and ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Inhumans’ star Iwan Rheon. But with the production on the remake’s pilot currently underway in Vancouver, the network saw the perfect opportunity to introduce the world to the new cast that would consist of Ashleigh LaThrop, Tre Hall, Allie MacDonald, and Jake Cannavale as Alicia, Curtis, Kelly, and Nathan. However, the line-up was missing the counterpart for Rheon’s Simon, who started out as the quiet outcast before rising to basically main character status. Now, not only do we know who will play Simon, but another awesome talent has joined the cast as well.
According to Deadline, comedian and character actor Dave Foley of ‘Kids in the Hall’ fame and Charlie Saxton from ‘Hung’ and Netflix’s ‘Trollhunters’ have been added to the upcoming supernatural drama as series regulars. Saxton will play the aforementioned Simon, who is described as an “intelligent and odd” person that “makes his way through life ignored by the world at large”. As for the veteran Foley, he’ll take on the part of Bernie, a desperate, disheveled driver that is “clumsy, dorky, and wearing clothes from 1990”.
Considering his body of work that also includes ‘Workaholics’, ‘Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life’, and ‘Bones’, Saxton is an excellent choice for Simon. It’s easy to see him stepping into the role of that’s a bit socially awkward and largely invisible to those around him. But in regards to Foley, he’s sure to provide some excellent comic relief with the material penned by ‘iZombie’ and ‘Veronica Mars’ writer Diane Ruggiero-Wright (who is in line to write, produce, and serve as showrunner if the remake goes to series), especially if he ends up as a sidekick or “Hero Support” like he did in the extremely underrated 2005 Disney film ‘Sky High’.
What do you think about Dave Foley and Charlie Saxton joining the cast of ‘Misfits’? Could you see them doing well in these roles? And do you think that it will be hard not to compare Saxton’s Simon to Iwan Rheon’s breakout performance in that role? Let us know in the comments below.
