Maria Bello a Prime Suspect?

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Who will fill Helen Mirren’s sensible shoes in the American remake of Prime Suspect? Michael Ausiello at TVLine is reporting that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor‘s Maria Bello is close to signing a deal to play Detective Jane Tennison.

The NBC project, originally developed as a 2010 midseason replacement but shelved due to the difficulty of finding a suitable lead actress, is now being produced by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights). Should the pilot be ordered to series, it will air in the 2011-2012 season.

The original Prime Suspect, a critical and commercial success in the UK and abroad, aired in a series of seven parts from 1991 to 2006. The complex, no-nonsense Det. Tennison is widely considered to be Mirren’s breakout role. Bello, who has not appeared in a regular TV role since departing ER in 1998, is a talented actress but she will have a tough time winning over viewers who have fond memories of the original Prime Suspect and are weary of remakes.