Dermot Mulroney lands NBC's 'Rockford Files' role

'My Best Friend's Wedding' star will try to be the new James Garner

By HitFix Staff Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 1:24 PM

Just days after NBC paused its "Prime Suspect" remake due to difficulties finding an actress for the iconic main role, the network has filled the lead in its other big spring remake.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dermot Mulroney has been cast in NBC's new "Rockford Files" pilot, which was written by "House" creator David Shore and will be produced through Steve Carell's shingle.

Inside Analysis

It would be a near-impossible task for any actor to step into James Garner's shoes and play Jim Rockford. Yet we still can't help but feel some measure of disappointment that this was the best NBC could do in filling one of the spring's most high-profile pilot leads.

If you look through Dermot Mulroney's resume, there are signs of an interesting actor. I'd point to "Living in Oblivion" and "Undertow" and maybe "The Trigger Effect" as a few of the films that have indicated Mulroney might be able to command the screen. But there are far more times where Mulroney was cast as a supposedly charming leading man and failed to deliver. The assumption that an uncompelling movie star can become a compelling TV leading man is only occasionally supported by fact.

There had been reports that NBC wanted Matt Dillon for the role, which obviously would have been a better choice. But if you're trying to find somebody capable of matching Garner's charisma and rakish charm, I wonder if NBC was able to think outside the box enough to consider somebody like Blair Underwood.

-Daniel Fienberg

The original "Rockford Files" was an NBC staple from 1974-1980. It won star James Garner an Emmy for his work as James Rockford, con-turned-gumshoe. The beloved series also helped launch writer-producer Stephen J. Cannell's

Mulroney's last TV work was the Lifetime movie "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," plus a multi-episode stint on NBC's "Friends." His movie credits include "My Best Friend's Wedding," "The Wedding Date" and several other films not including weddings.

As for "Prime Suspect," NBC has decided to hold off on casting an American equivalent for Helen Mirren until at least June.

Related Searches: TV, Pilots, casting, Dermot Mulroney, The Rockford Files, David Shore

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Suzi Fienberg is completely wrong about Mulroney, who is a subtle actor whose style is to underplay--similar to Garner's. Plus, he's been in multiple genres and plays well opposite women, which is not true of Dillon. Feinberg needs to take a course in media literacy or film studies, so he knows how to adequately evaluate stars and their images rather than merely giving us his personal opinions.
March 4, 2010 at 11:37AM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Suzi - I'm not prone to getting into fights regarding differences of opinions, so I'll make you a deal: If you find me a media literacy class that teaches "The Wedding Date" as part of a section on star power and I WILL take that class (assuming it's at least semi-local or online-only). -Daniel
  March 4, 2010 at 11:54AM EST