Girl power invades action TV as Maggie Q reinvents Nikita and Roselyn Sanchez goes Cutthroat

Maggie Q is currently in negotiations to play the lead in the CW’s Nikita reboot and Roselyn Sanchez – most recently seen as a regular on the CBS drama Without a Trace – has been tapped as the lead in ABC’s upcoming Cutthroat, according to THR.

The report highlights increased diversity on the upcoming primetime schedule, particularly noting that Nikita was first by Anne Parillaud in Luc Besson’s cult classic 1990 thriller La Femme Nikita, followed by Bridget Fonda in the 1993 U.S. remake Point of No Return, then by Peta Wilson in the 1997 USA Network TV series.

The premise of the new Nikita has her being trained to replace the original, who’s gone rogue. Maggie Q has made a name for herself as a Hong Kong action star, and in the high profile action thrillers Mission: Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard.

Cutthroat is a one-hour dramedy centering on Nina Cabrera (Sanchez), an upscale Beverly Hills widow and soccer mom who runs an international drug cartel, created by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters.

Other high-profile pilots that will have minority actors in lead roles include Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe, who topline J.J. Abrams’ NBC action pilot Undercovers; Forest Whitaker, who leads CBS’ Criminal Minds spinoff; and Laz Alonso in Fox’s action drama Breakout Kings.