Taylor Sheridan is at it again with Lioness, an upcoming spy thriller that has just added Thad Luckinbill in a heavily recurring role alongside series lead and producer Zoe Saldaña. Best known for his long-running appearance in The Young and Restless, Luckinbill is officially the latest name to join Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming series, which will, by all accounts, be a shocking departure from his normal cowboy-themed fare.
First announced last year, Sheridan’s Lioness will star Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos, described by Variety as “a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine” who joins the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team – a crack team of undercover operatives – to take down a terrorist organization from the inside. Zoe Saldaña will star as Joe, the station chief in charge of the Lioness team, while other cast members include Morgan Freeman as US Secretary of State Edward Mullins, Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade, and Bassem Youssef as Amrohi, a billionaire with ties to terrorism. Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur, Hannah Love Lanier, and Michael Kelly also star, along with 1883 and Taylor Sheridan-alums LaMonica Garrett and James Jordan.
Thad Luckinbill Joins Taylor Sheridan’s New Spy Thriller
Thad Luckinbill will be joining the cast of Lioness in a recurring role as Kyle, Joe’s childhood friend turned fellow CIA Agent who’s in charge of overseeing a trafficking contact, according to Deadline. Thad Luckinbill is most well-known for his role in The Young and Restless, where he played ladies’ man turned businessman J.T. Hellstrom from 1999 to 2019. Some of Luckinbill’s other roles include Scott Norris in Only the Brave (2017) and Vern Micheals in 12 Strong (2018), along with guest roles in Major Crimes, Rizzoli & Isles, and Grey’s Anatomy.
Information about Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness is a little scarce at the moment, but it has been confirmed that Sheridan himself will be executive producing, of course, along with Saldaña, Kidman, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Jill Wagner, Geyer Kosinski, Michael Malone, and John Hillcoat for MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. The series will eventually be available on Paramount+, but a release date hasn’t been announced yet.
Are you excited about Taylor Sheridan’s new series Lioness with Thad Luckinbill? Let us know in the comments!