The cast of the Blue Bloods spin-off Boston Blue, led by Donnie Wahlberg, is slowly but surely getting built.
Though Tom Selleck, who starred as the Reagan family patriarch, isn't expected to return as Frank Regan, his successor has just been cast.
The new show, which will air during Blue Bloods' Friday 10pm slot on CBS, will follow Danny Reagan taking a position with the Boston PD, as well as the Silver family, prominent among the Boston law enforcement, and helmed by patriarch Reverend Peters.
Over the weekend, Deadline confirmed that Reverend Peters, the Silver family patriarch, will be played by Ernie Hudson. He is best known for his work in the Ghostbusters franchise as well as Quantum Leap, Carl Weber's The Family Business, and Miss Congeniality.
His character is "a renowned pastor of an historic Baptist church in Boston" described as an "open-minded, welcoming man that is comfortable in all traditions."
He is the father of Mae Silver, Boston's District Attorney, and grandfather to Superintendent Ashley Silver, rookie patrol cop Isaac Silver, and Detective Lena Silver.
Of those, the only other actor cast so far in the series, which will premiere this fall, is Sonequa Martin-Green, who will star as Lena.
Her casting was announced during a recent CBS press conference. "I'm gonna have to get a really good Boston accent, just so I can throw it out at times," she told reporters, adding: "We love the Reagans. We have all loved the Reagans for so long."
"Being Detective Lena Silver, who is coming from a prominent law enforcement family, you will love the Silvers too. I'm super excited for this partnership, and to be back in the CBS family."
Donnie himself said of the spin-off: "I'm incredibly grateful for the years on Blue Bloods, and incredibly grateful to be able to keep the traditional Blue Bloods alive and move it forward into a new world with new friends and new situations."
"We are really really working on this universe in a way that I think the Blue Bloods viewers are gonna be very happy, very excited, and a whole new world of viewers are gonna be able to discover us, too," he added.
In addition to Donnie and Tom, Blue Bloods, which came to an end last fall following a cancellation after 14 seasons, also starred Bridget Moynahan, Vanessa Ray, Will Estes, Abigail Hawk, and Len Cariou, among others. It remains unclear if any of them will be making any appearances in the spin-off.