Morris Chestnut is set to star as the new male lead in NBC drama pilot The Enemy Within. The pilot is executive produced by Ken Woodruff, who also served as executive producer of Gotham and NBC executive-turned-producer Vernon Sanders and Universal TV.
The Enemy Within is a character-driven investigative thriller set in the world of counterintelligence. It centers on former CIA agent Erica Wolfe (Played by Jennifer Carpenter), the most infamous traitor in modern who is brought out of a federal prison by the FBI to assist in halting some of the most treacherous acts of espionage threatening the United States today.
Explaining his role in the new series, Chestnut said, “I play special agent Will Keaton, who is responsible for catching America’s biggest traitor. The catch is, the criminal caused the death of my fiancé, so it’s much more than just a case for Keaton. In the same token, the criminal is motivated to stay out of prison because she wants to be there for her daughter.”
“I didn’t need to pull pain for this role, as I have with some of my previous roles,” he laughs, “but it’s a storyline that really shows both sides of the coin, a real emotional fast-paced psychological thriller. You see the agents working to catch the bad guy, but it’s much more than just another case for everyone involved.”
Chestnut’s co-star, Jennifer Carpenter, is known for her roles as Debra Morgan on Showtime’s thriller Dexter and Rebecca Harris on CBS’ Limitless. She was most recently be seen in S. Craig Zahler’s Brawl In Cell Block 99.
Chestnut starred in the title role of Fox’s Rosewood and most recently did a season-long stint on the upcoming second season of Amazon’s Goliath. He also is known for his series regular role as Dr. Prentiss in the last two seasons of Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. In film, he has starred in Boyz in the Hood, The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday, and many others.
