Syfy finds a TV version of Bruce Willis, still looking for a Brad Pitt for its 12 Monkeys series

Syfy’s latest made-for-TV movie designed as a backdoor pilot to kickstart a series is an adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys. The project has been labeled “cast contingent,” meaning that if suitable actors cannot be found for Cole and Goines—the roles originated by Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, respectively—the production won’t move forward. But Deadline reports that half of that requirement has now been met: Aaron Stanford (Nikita, Pyro from the X-Men films) will step into the Willis role as the time-travelling Cole, while Suits' Amanda Schull will play Cassandra Railly, based on Madeleine Stowe’s Dr. Kathryn Railly from the film. Like the movie, the pilot finds Railly overseeing the mental facility Cole gets thrown into, then eventually becoming his ally as he tries to locate the origin of a deadly plague that wipes out humanity in the future. This still leaves the Goines role uncast, but with filming already set to begin in Detroit in December, the producers seem confident they’ll be moving ahead in adapting a film seemingly ill-suited for an ongoing series.