Eldard gets religion in CBS drama pilot

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Ron Eldard will play the lead in the CBS drama pilot "Demons."

He will play an ex-Jesuit priest/psychologist who performs exorcisms. Eldard's recent credits include the ABC drama "Blind Justice" and the feature "Freedomland."

In other pilot casting news:
= British actor Lloyd Owen ("Miss Potter") has landed the lead in CBS' "Viva Laughlin," a musical based on the BBC's "Viva Blackpool!" Owen will play a family man who dreams of opening a casino in Laughlin, Nev.
= Josh Cooke has joined an untitled CBS drama about a group of public defenders. Cooke will play a newbie to the Public Defenders' office. The project is in second position to Cooke's current series, ABC's "Big Day."
= Monica Potter ("Boston Legal") has come aboard CBS' drama "Protect and Serve," which follows the lives of street cops in suburban Los Angeles. Potter will play the estranged wife of one of the cops.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter