Vampire Diaries Chris Wood
Chris Wood, pictured playing Kai in "The Vampire Diaries," has quite a different look in "Containment." CW

“Vampire Diaries” fans will have to adjust to seeing Chris Wood in a new light. In “Containment,” he’ll play one of the good guys, and a new photo shows him looking distinctly different from his “Vampire Diaries” character Kai.

While Kai was often covered in other people’s blood and kept his clothing pretty casual, it seems that Wood's “Containment” character, Jake, is a bit more respectable. The photo, first published by Variety, shows Wood in a police officer’s uniform, so it seems like he might be playing a good character. The actor is also done playing a teenager. The uniform and scruffy face make it look like he’ll be playing closer to his real age, 27.

“They’re completely unrecognizable next to each other. They’re completely different characters,” Wood told TV Line.

Formerly titled “Cordon,” “Containment” follows a town where people are suddenly coming down with a dangerous and contagious virus. The illness quickly kills people and spreads, but doctors can’t identify the disease as anything they’ve seen before. Since they have no cure or treatment, the government decides to quarantine the town. Jake gets stuck inside the town during the lockdown, and fans will have to hope that he doesn’t have the same gruesome ending as Kai.

“Containment” was created by “The Vampire Diaries” executive producer Julie Plec, and Wood’s role on the teen drama helped get Plec’s attention. While on the show, he even caught the attention of one of his fellow “TVD” actors. “Chris showed up on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and instantly started blowing everyone’s minds,” Plec told Variety. “But my love for him was clinched when Paul Wesley, who is hilariously very sparing with his compliments, texted me after his first day of directing Chris and said, ‘This guy is unbelievably good.’”

It seems the love is mutual between Wood and Wesley, who plays Stefan on the CW drama. When Access Hollywood asked Wood which “Vampire Diaries” star he wanted to guest star on “Containment,” Wesley was his first choice. “I didn’t get to work much with Paul, and he’s a good friend of mine,” Wood said.

Watch the extended trailer for “Containment” below:

“Containment” premieres this winter on the CW.

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