Credit: Christie Goodwin (Esten)/Netflix
Nashville alum Charles Esten, Chase Stokes (Tell Me Your Secrets, Daytime Divas), Madelyn Cline (Boy Erased), Madison Bailey (Black Lightning, Creepshow), Jonathan Daviss (Age of Summer), Rudy Pankow (Snapchat’s Solve), Austin North (I Didn’t Do It, All Night) and Drew Starkey (Love, Simon, The Hate U Give, Mine 9) are set as leads in Outer Banks, Netflix‘s 10-episode YA drama series set for premiere in 2020.
Co-created and executive produced by Jonas and Josh Pate and Shannon Burke, Outer Banks is set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where a tight-knit group of teens from the wrong side of the tracks called the “Pogues” embark on a mission to find their ringleader’s missing father. In the process, they stumble across a treasure map that unearths a long buried secret.
Stokes will play John B, the charismatic leader of the Pogue crew. His father went missing while trying to salvage a sunken ship, and he will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets behind his disappearance. John B convinces his friends to join him on the epic search for his father, and what his father was looking for, leading them on an unforgettable summer adventure.
Cline will portray Sarah Cameron, the vivacious queen bee of OBX, alongside her golden-boy boyfriend Topper. Though Sarah comes from the Kook world, there is more to her than meets the eye, and her quick wit and warm heart will catch the eye of John B and bring her into the adventure of a lifetime.
Bailey is Kiara, an athletic hippychick with a socialist streak, and although she’d loathe to admit it, she’s from a rich family. Kiara fits in perfectly with the Pogues — she’s got a cutting sense of humor, a zen vibe, and a taste for adventure.
Daviss will play Pope. Pope is the smartest of the Pogues, and has a scholarship on the line — his ticket to a life outside of the Outer Banks. Pope is always down to go adventuring with his buddies, but he’s the cautious voice who warns them when they’re about to do something catastrophically stupid.
Pankow will play JJ, John B’s oldest friend and a fellow Pogue. He’s had a rough home life and is feisty yet troubled – a trickster, a hustler, funny, brave, a great liar, and loyal to a fault.
Esten is Ward Cameron, a wealthy (self-made) businessman who exudes a casual authority, and is Sarah & Rafe’s dad. He is the patriarch of Outer Banks society — smooth, competent, at home in the upper class world, but was born blue collar.
North will play Topper, the king of the Kooks, a nationally ranked surfer, and Sarah’s boyfriend. Topper can be aggressive and entitled, but deep down he’s sensitive and sympathetic.
Starkey will portray Sarah’s older brother, Rafe, a college dropout and a bad influence who frequently leads his sister and her friends astray. He’s entitled, sneaky, and manipulative.
Esten was a regular on ABC’s Nashville for its six seasons and will next be seen recurring on TNT’s upcoming drama series Tell Me Your Secrets opposite Lily Rabe and Amy Brenneman. He’s repped by Artists & Representatives.
Burke is an award-winning novelist, and writer for both film and television. His previous credits include Syriana, and his book Black Flies was featured on The Black List for 2019 as an adapted screenplay written by Ryan King, to be directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, and starring Mel Gibson and Tye Sheridan. It is set to go into production this summer with Christopher Kopp producing and Mad River financing. Burke is repped by Paradigm.
North is repped by Buchwald, Management 360 and Myman Greenspan Fox Forenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Cline is repped by Paradigm, Bold Talent Agency and Bold Management & Production. Pankow is repped by Ideal Talent Agency (ITA) and Jackson Entertainment. Stokes is repped by Luber Roklin and APA.
