ABC Family is making casting changes to drama Recovery Road, which was picked up to series in December. Young British actress Jessica Sula (Skins, Love & Marriage) has been cast as the lead, replacing Samantha Logan, who played the role in the pilot. The project also will recast the role of the recovery house counselor, which was a guest star/recurring in the pilot but potentially could become regular. Pilot regular cast members Sebastian De Souza, Kyla Pratt, Sharon Leal and Alexis Carra are staying on. Additionally, the role of Vern, which was a guest star in the pilot, now will be a regular, played by Daniel Franzese.
Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen DiConcetto based on the popular young-adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road centers on Maddie (Sula), a party girl and a highly functioning addict who doesn’t think she has a problem until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and is forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie makes the difficult decision to live with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life.
The project was developed, and the pilot was ordered by and produced under the previous ABC Family regime. The series pickup of Recovery Road was the first scripted series order for Karey Burke shortly after she joined the network as EVP Programming and Development, so it is understandable for her to put her stamp on the project, which will film a new pilot episode.
Royal and DiConcetto executive produce alongside Craig Piligian and Beth Miller from Pilgrim Studios, and Danielle VonZerneck.
Sula, repped by Gersh and UK’s Waring & McKenna, next stars in British indie Honeytrap, which will make its American premiere at SXSW.
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