Simon Kassianides
Simon Kassianides has been cast opposite Gina Torres, Rebecca Rittenhouse, and Morgan Spector in USA Network’s proposed “Suits” spinoff. Pictured: Kassianides attends the premiere of the dramatic thriller “Unforgettable” at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, on April 18, 2017. Richard Shotwell/AFP/Getty Images

Simon Kassianides has been added to the cast of USA Network’s potential “Suits” spinoff.

According to Deadline, Kassianides is set to guest-star in “Suits” Season 7 finale, which will serve as a backdoor pilot for the proposed offshoot focusing on Gina Torres’ “Suits” character, Jessica Pearson. The “Agents of SHIELD” alum is expected to be a series regular should the pilot is picked up to series.

The name of Kassianides’ character is being kept under wraps, but the news outlet revealed that the British actor will play a mysterious tough guy with ties to both the mayor of Chicago and the city’s biggest developer.

News of Kassianides’ casting comes a week after it was announced that “Homeland” actor Morgan Spector and “The Mindy Project” actress Rebecca Rittenhouse will also appear in the pilot. Spector will portray Bobby Golec, the handsome, charismatic and enigmatic working class mayor of Chicago who is up for re-election in six months. Rittenhouse, meanwhile, will appear as Keri Allen, a driven and ambitious city attorney who serves as the unofficial right hand to Mayor Golec.

Unlike “Suits,” the offshoot will not be a legal drama. Instead, it will tell the new chapter of Jessica’s life as she enters the world of Chicago politics.

According to the official logline for the backdoor pilot, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) reunite with their former boss and friend Jessica as she adjusts to her new life in the Windy City. When she is forced to enter the dirty world of Chicago politics, Jessica must rely on her legal wits and valiant relationships from her old colleagues at Pearson Specter Litt to navigate this unknown territory.

“Jessica is going to get in a tangle and a tussle with some Chicago politics players,” “Suits” creator Aaron Korsh — who will co-create the spinoff along with his longtime “Suits” collaborator Daniel Arkin — told Deadline last August of what will happen in the pilot. “They will be of different levels, from the Mayor on down, and maybe not all will be directly involved in politics, we may have a real estate developer or someone of that type, and some power brokers within the city and maybe further a little down the rung in that world. As we go though the spinoff episode, at the end hopefully you’ll have a great idea of what her future is moving forward and who’s a potential ally and who’s a potential enemy in her world.”

In addition to his role as Sunil Bakshi on ABC’s “Agents of SHIELD,” Kassianides’ other credits include ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” The CW’s “Nikita” and CBS’ “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”

“Suits” Season 7 finale, which will be directed by Anton Cooper, will air in the first quarter of 2018.

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