Mekhi Phifer to Torchwood

Torchwood, the sci-fi adventure spin-off of Dr. Who, is getting ready to battle hostile extraterrestrials and supernatural threats for a fourth season, and Captain Jack Harkness is getting a new addition to the team.

Deadline brings news that Mekhi Phifer (Lie to Me, ER) will be joining the cast as CIA agent Rex Matheson, a fast-tracked high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor who gets in touch with his own mortality when his life is put in danger. Matheson will be the third lead in the series, along with Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles).

Torchwood follows the adventures of a renegade criminal investigation group that was founded by Queen Victoria to battle those forces that can’t be easily explained. The leader of the group is Captain Jack Harkness, a 51st Century con man and former time agent who first appeared on Dr. Who. (Fans of the time-lord might be interested in finding out who will be playing a ‘huge role’ on the show next season. Hint: He’s one of the few actors who has appeared in both the Dr. Who and the Star Trek franchises.)

Torchwood will be back in the summer of 2011 with more of an international scope, and it will be airing on both BBC and Starz so U.S. fans won’t have to wait to get in on the action.

In addition to his new recurring role on Torchwood, Phifer will also be appearing in the Lifetime action film, Close Quarters.