New Nikita series planned
Patrick Ellis
diverse ever for leads in dramas, Maggie Q is in talks to play the title
character in the CW's "Nikita" reboot.
The casting of Hawaii-born Maggie Q -- whose mother is Vietnamese -- is
particularly significant as it jumps off an iconic character historically
portrayed as Caucasian, first by Anne Parillaud in Luc Besson's 1990 film,
followed by Bridget Fonda in the 1993 redo "Point of No Return" and Peta
Wilson in the 1997 USA Network series.
The CW pilot's premise of a new Nikita being trained to replace the original
one after she goes rogue gave creator Craig Silverstein an opportunity to
break the stereotype, and he wrote the lead as "beautiful and exotic."
The pending hire of Maggie Q would mark the highest-profile series role for
an Asian actress on a broadcast drama series and the highest-profile CW
minority casting in the network's four-year history.
Maggie Q (last name: Quigley) made a name for herself as a Hong Kong
action-movie star before landing roles in "Mission: Impossible III" and
"Live Free or Die Hard."
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Patrick Ellis, who is suprised to find out that the previous were neither
beautiful nor exotic.