With production work likely to start in January on the Joss Whedon-overseen S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series for ABC, more casting news has now emerged. Previous reports have said that the show was looking for a male and a female to play a geeky best friend pairing, with the relationship described as sibling-like in it’s nature. Well, these roles have now been cast.

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The Hollywood Reporter has word that Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker have been cast as Agent Gemma Simmons and Agent Leo Fitz, respectively. The relationship between the two has previously been described as:

“These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.”

The pair signed up to star along Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May and Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, returning in the role he’s made famous in so many of the recent Marvel films.

The series pilot has been co-written by Joss Whedon, his brother Jed and Maurissa Tancharoen, with Joss Whedon signed on to direct the pilot and then oversee the series as an executive producer once it is, hopefully, picked up for a full series.

[The Hollywood Reporter]