"Aquaman" Recasts Starring Lead Role With "Passions'" Justin Hartley!

“”Aquaman” Recasts Starring Lead Role With “Passions’” Justin Hartley!”

By Arlene R. Weiss © Copyright February 23, 2006

Don’t get too used to newcomer, actor, Will Toale coming to your TV screen anytime soon in the starring, lead role of the upcoming CW Television Network series, “Aquaman”.

Zap2it.com reports that before the heavily touted to the press, Toale, could make any “waves” as the water bound comics Super Hero, the powers that be behind “Aquaman” have decided to replace Toale with the more credentialed actor, Justin Hartley, best known for Hartley’s stint on the popular, ratings busting daytime NBC Television Network’s soap opera, “Passions”.

Hartley, now cast and starring as mild mannered, twenty some year old, Arthur Curry, (aka “Aquaman”), obviously, is a more recognized and bankable face, with much more acting chops under his belt.

Hartley’s prominent stud status and fan base has already been cemented in many fans’ minds since he began portraying the character of Nicholas Foxworth Crane on “Passions”, in 2002, a role in which he has become a fixture in for over three years now.

Hartley was even nominated in 2005 for a Soap Opera Digest Award for his role and work on “Passions”.

Will Toale had originally been cast as the heroic wonder from Atlantis, when “Aquaman” was initially green lighted by the former WB Television Network as a spin off series from the WB Network’s steadfast hit series, “Smallville”, now in its fifth season.

“Aquaman” had been featured in an October 2005 “Smallville” episode, (portrayed to great affect in the episode by “American Idol” former contestant, Alan Ritchson), helping Clark Kent/Superman fight and defeat some nasty villains. That episode earned some of the series’ highest ratings.

“Smallville” Co-Creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, enthused with the overwhelming, favorable viewer response to “Aquaman”, jumped at the chance to develop a pilot and series for the oceanic, crime fighting Hero, and cast Toale (to much media fanfare), as the pilot/series’ star.

However, presumably, the spanking new CW Network, just in its initial launching stage, after merging the WB and UPN Television Networks, is hankering big time for some solid, lucrative, Super Powered ratings, with little room for risk or failure for the fledgling “Aquaman”. And with Hartley now cast in the starring, lead role, the big shots behind the CW Network feel more assured of a ratings winning hit on their hands.

Zap2it.com reports that “The Hollywood Reporter” quotes a CW Network representative as saying that, “Will (Toale) is a talented actor with a promising career, and we hope to work with him in the future. We have made a decision to go in a different direction with the “Aquaman” role and wish him the best of luck.”

We do too, Will, as well as Alan Ritchson, who we thought, made a thoroughly convincing and affable job as the water loving crime fighter! We personally wondered why even Ritchson didn’t get the role after more than proving his acting talents in making us root for “Aquaman”!

Hey….after all, it was Ritchson’s take on “Aquaman” that won over fans and was a ratings hit, in the FIRST place!!!! Are WE the only ones that realize this?!

Duh!!!!

Anyways, let’s hope that three (casting changes) times, IS the charm and that Hartley is as enchanting in the role of our Super Hero from the seven seas as actor, Tom Welling has proved to be portraying Clark/Superman in “Smallville” (one of our FAVORITE shows! and at this point, the flag ship ratings winner for the CW Network.).

Source:
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-justinhartleyaquaman,0,2184892.story?coll=zap-news-headlines

Muse News And Micro Muse February 23, 2006

By Arlene R. Weiss © Copyright February 23, 2006