Apple Series City On Fire Adds Chase Sui Wonders To The Cast

A new crime drama from the team who brought us "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl" has just landed its lead. Chase Sui Wonders has been tapped for a major role in the upcoming Apple series "City on Fire," per Variety.

Though she may not be a household name yet, Wonders' filmography to date is composed of interesting projects, from Sofia Coppola's "On The Rocks" to Crystal Moselle's skater girl series "Betty" to the teen-penned HBO Max drama "Generation." Now she's been cast as Samantha, the woman who becomes central to a puzzling investigation when she's shot on the Fourth of July with no witnesses around.

Based on the novel of the same name by Garth Risk Hallberg, "City on Fire" offers an intriguing premise: Samantha is an NYU student in this 2003-set series, and she's discovered to be the victim of a crime after she fails to arrive at her friend's band's show. The series synopsis, as relayed by Variety, says that in the aftermath Sam is "revealed to be the crucial connection between a series of mysterious citywide fires, the downtown music scene, and a wealthy uptown real estate family."

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are serving as co-showrunners and executive producers, and they also wrote the series. Along with the above-mentioned shows, Schwartz created "Chuck" and Marvel's "Runaways," and alongside Savage has developed series like 2017's "Dynasty" and the new "Nancy Drew." Based on the pair's track record, there's a good chance this series could end up soapy and addictive.

Wyatt Oleff (pictured above) has already been cast as another main character in "City on Fire." The actor will play Charlie, Samantha's friend who begins a dogged pursuit of the truth after she's shot. The only other detail we know about Charlie is that his dad died on 9/11, two years earlier. With all of these serious elements, "City on Fire" will have to strike a very particular chord to work well. If anyone can make it happen, I think Oleff can; the often-underutilized young actor has already stolen scenes in "IT" and the great short-lived Netflix series "I Am Not Okay With This."

Though no release date has been set for "City on Fire," we know "GLOW" and "Girls" director Jesse Peretz is slated to direct the show's first two episodes, and will also take on an executive producer role.