Paula Patton Makes Leap To Television For ABC’s Runner

Yet another Hollywood star has been seduced by the creative freedoms of the small screen. Precious actress Paula Patton, who broke big with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, just signed on to star in ABC’s drug cartel drama pilot Runner, multiple sources confirm.

Adapted from the Turkish TV series Son, Runner will center on Lauren Marks (Patton), a seemingly ordinary woman who, after having her happy family shattered, follows a trail of lies into the shadowy world of cartels and gun-running between the U.S. and Mexico.

Lauren is described as “an architect, a caring wife and mother living 
peacefully with her husband, Adam, and their son, Jackson.
” When a plane Adam was on crashes, killing everyone on board, Lauren is distraught – until she learns that her husband never boarded the plane. Determined to discover the truth and find out what her husband has been hiding from her, Lauren winds up in the middle of a deadly cartel war alongside a face from her past she had hoped would stay there.

Patton’s casting comes after an extensive search, which occurred over the course of two pilot seasons and on two separate networks. Fox originally developed the series and sent offers out to Christina Applegate, Katie Holmes, Mireille Enos and Jessica Biel, but the show ended up stalling until ABC handed it a pilot order last month.

Michael Cooney (Identity) is handling script-writing duties and will also exec-produce with Peter Horton, Ian Sander and Kim Moses. Jon Cowan, who executive-produced episodes of Private Practice, My Generation and Suits, will step up as showrunner, and Michael Offer (Last Resort, How to Get Away with Murder) is on board to direct the pilot.

Runner will certainly benefit from Patton’s presence in the lead. The actress’ star is rapidly rising thanks to roles in hits like 2 Guns and About Last Night, and with Warcraft coming down the pipeline, she may be about to hit a whole new level of popularity.