Paula Patton has been cast in new ABC pilot Runner.
The 39-year-old actress will star as Lauren Marks, a woman whose perfect life is shattered when she discovers her husband never boarded the plane he supposedly crashed on. In her search for the truth, the character encounters drug cartels and the illegal drug trade between the U.S. and Mexico.
Australian director Michael Offer will helm the pilot, with Jon Cowan as showrunner and Cowan, Michael Cooney, Peter Horton, Ian Sander and Kim Moses as executive producers. Offer is known for directing the pilot episode of fellow ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder.
Runner will mark Patton's first appearance as a television series regular. The actress is known for such films as Déjà Vu, Precious and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and will star with Ben Foster in a live-action adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment game Warcraft.