Freddie Prinze Jr to Play Nancy Drew’s Dad on CW’s ‘Nancy Drew’ Pilot

Kennedy McMann stars in the latest attempt at bringing the female sleuth to the small screen

Freddie Prinze Jr
Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Now that The CW found its Nancy Drew, the network has found her father, who will be played by Freddie Prinze Jr.

The “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “She’s All That” star will play Carson Drew, a dynamic attorney who has become estranged from Nancy following the recent death of his beloved wife – but his attempts to reconnect with his daughter run aground when Nancy’s murder investigation reveals unsettling secrets from Carson’s own past.

Newcomer Kennedy McMann was cast last month to play the latest version of the classic literary character. McMann’s Drew is described as a brilliant teen sleuth whose college plans and sense of self have been derailed by a recent family tragedy – but when she ends up a suspect in a murder, it rekindles her love for detective work, even though the clues lead her to believe that a long-dead local girl may be the killer.

Set in the summer after her high school graduation, 18-year-old Nancy Drew thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, Drew finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation — and along the way, uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.

Leah Lewis, who recently appeared on The CW’s “Charmed” reboot, will also co-star in the pilot as George, a tough, tattooed girl from the wrong side of the tracks who felt personally wronged by Nancy in high school. George now finds herself a suspect in the killing along with her former nemesis, forcing her to team up with Nancy to track the culprit and clear their names… and it just may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are producing the pilot for The CW. Melinda Hsu Taylor will serve as showrunner with Larry Teng on board as director. The project is set up at CBS Television Studios in association with Schwartz and Savage’s Fake Empire. Noga Landau penned the script and is an executive producer, alongside Schwartz, Savage and Lis Rowinski.

This is the third time that CBS TV Studios has attempted to adapt Nancy Drew in the past three years. CBS ordered a pilot starring Sarah Shahi during the 2015-16 development cycle. It was also part of NBC’s development slate this past season. Both of those versions were developed as sequels to the books, while The CW project is closer to the source material.

Comments