Rueben's Ramblings

Last week, the folks over at ABC Family announced they have greenlit a spin-off series to their successful teen soap opera Pretty Little Liars that will called Ravenswood. The new series is set to debut this October after the annual Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars.

Ravenswood will center on a town, not far from Rosewood, Pennsylvania (the home base of ‘Pretty Little Liars’), which has suffered under a deadly curse for generations. Five strangers suddenly find themselves connected by this fatal curse and need to dig into the town’s mysterious and terrible history before it’s too late for each of them.

Then just two days ago, the folks over at TV Line provided a short synopsis on a few of the characters who will reside in Ravenswood.

The following are the casting descriptions:

Sammi Hanratty

MIRANDA: She’s a feisty, disarming and unconventionally attractive 17-year-old. As a fiercely independent foster kid, she has tons of confidence, but it was hard-won. She uses her wits to cover her emotional scars. If you can break through the tough exterior, you’ve got a fearless, loyal friend for life.

ABEL: Hottie alert: The 17-year-old is a lone wolf and old soul with brooding intensity. He may have something dangerous lurking inside him — or maybe he’s just wounded and trying to hide it. His trust is hard to earn, but once you’ve got it, he’ll never let you down.

OLIVIA: Abel’s twin sister is a former prom queen who is struggling with a recent fall from grace. She used to be a carefree, happy teenager, but recent events have her questioning what’s important, what’s not and who her real friends are now that they’ve suddenly turned their backs on her.

With that thought in mind, I did a little bit of digging to find who I thought might be good actors to play these roles. Please keep in mind these are only my ideas on who could possibly play the roles listed above; and in no one reflects who the network will actually decide to select. And, if you have your own thoughts on who should play the parts listed, please let me know your thoughts!

Stephen Lunsford (Copyright: Paley Center for Media/Kevin Parry)

In the role of Miranda, I think former Pushing Daisies actress Sammi Hanratty might be a good choice. The young actress, who rose to fame as young Chuck on the Bryan Fuller series about a pie maker who with one touch could bring someone back to life for 30 seconds only to have them either remain alive (at the cost of someone else’s life) or be returned to the dead by his second touch, is now a brisk 18 years of age; and could easily pull off this role. Besides appearing in Pushing Daisies, Sammi also had recurring roles on The Unit and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. She also appeared in the box office film A Christmas Carol and has a role in the upcoming back-door pilot/TV movie The Saint.

For the part of Abel, I think Teen Wolf hunk Stephen Lunsford just might be the right fit. While Stephen is in his early 20’s, he has been able to pull himself off as a teenager in both Teen Wolf and Switched at Birth. He has also appeared in episodes of Private Practice and the box office film Bratz.

Elise Gatien

Lastly, the role of Olivia could be portrayed by actress Elise Gatien, who TV viewers will recognize for her roles in the Cartoon Network series Tower Prep and Smallville. She has also made guest appearances in TV shows like Supernatural, Eureka and The Secret Circle. Her movie roles include Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and In the Land of Women as well as the recent Lifetime movie Restless Virgins.

Again, these are just my suggestions on who could be considered for the currently known roles on Ravenswood. I would love to hear your thoughts!