Rodriguez will play ADA Marion Alba, who is described as charismatic and confident. Marion is new to Atlanta and “doesn’t impress Will (Ramón Rodriguez) when she first meets him,” according to the character description. That’s why the pair are surprised to learn they have to team up to investigate a crime in Atlanta’s gang world — hopefully they can overcome their initial negative impressions.
Will Trent is based on Karin Slaughter’s best-selling book series about Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Special Agent Will Trent, who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh upbringing in Atlanta’s overburdened foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique perspective to pursue justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
“I wasn’t familiar with the Karin Slaughter series before I got the script, but as I got into the books—I started with Fractured, then Triptych—I met this character who I quickly found very appealing,” Ramón Rodriguez previously told EW. “He’s been through a lot in the Georgia foster care system. I like that through everything he’s been through and lived through, because he’s dyslexic, he’s able to find a way to look at crime and the world in a pretty unique way. That’s what has allowed him to be quite successful as a [special agent] for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.”
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The series also stars Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner, Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, and Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood. The series is executive produced by Ramón star, Slaughter creator Liz Heldens, Daniel Thomsen, Oly Obst, Howard Deutch, and Ellen Marie Blum. Heldens and Thomsen also serve as co-executive producers.
Gina Rodriguez first rose to fame starring in the CW series Jane the Virgin. Since then, she has starred in and executive produced ABC’s Not Dead Yet and Disney+’s Diary of a Future President, co-hosted the game show Lucky 13 with Shaquille O’Neal, and starred in films including Annihilation, Someone Great, Miss Bala, and Deepwater Horizon.
Deadline was first to report Rodriguez’s casting.
