This bit of casting news might be taking place over in the United Kingdom, but it is far too fascinating for those of us here in America to ignore. Two of Great Britain’s most formidable contributions to the craft of film and television, Sean Connery and Ricky Gervais, are teaming up in a comedy pilot called Derek. Gervais will be filming the pilot, which stars Connery as an aged man confined to an old folks’ home. In addition to directing, Gervais himself will be starring alongside Connery in the pilot. So, this is just about the most enthralling news I’ve ever heard. –TV Over Mind
Parks & Recreation’s Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) sunny and saccharine nature has brought her a great deal of success, and earned her a wide assortment of friends and allies. However, in the game of politics, you’re always going to be up against someone. As Leslie delves further into her race for public office, we will be meeting a few of her opposing players. The first guest star to strike up an enmity with Knope will be in the form of Kathryn Hahn, who will play an operative employed by one of Knope’s rival candidates. Hahn, with a good deal of comedy roles on her resume, will add her sharp flavor to Parks & Rec when her team faces off against Leslie and Co. I can’t imagine it’s any easy feat to keep up with the comic abilities of the show’s stellar cast, but Hahn is hardly an amateur. She’ll be paying a visit to Pawnee in early 2012. Parks & Recreation airs Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. –TVLine
One actor is hopping from one period drama to another. Darren Pettie is known for his small but prominent recurring role on Mad Men, playing the secretly gay Lee Garner, Jr. Now, he’ll be stepping over to ABC’s Pan Am to take on the role of a regally admired airline pilot. Vince Broyles, Pettie’s Pan Am character, will be a WWII vet who is embraced as an American hero and a skilled pilot, though he harbors a secret dark side. Pan Am airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. –EW
