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If you know anything about Hollywood, the last name McQueen should ring more than a few bells. Steven R. McQueen is a young actor best known for his role in The CW series, The Vampire Diaries were he portrayed Jeremy Gilbert for six seasons. Born of Hollywood royalty, he is the grandson of the legendary actor Steve McQueen. Since leaving The Vampire Diaries in 2015, Steven has appeared in 25 episodes of NBC’s Chicago Fire as fireman Jimmy Borelli, and the male lead in Hallmark’s Home By Spring this past spring.
Since then, we haven’t seen much of Steven R. McQueen on our screens. While TV Source does not normally support nepotism, and though we most definitely appreciates Steven’s many humanitarian efforts (i.e. being a spokesperson for climate change with Climate Reality Project) — he should be everywhere and in everything! This young man is far too talented and honestly, good looking, to not be on our TV screens. So, on this week’s Casting Chair, we have come up with five different shows and roles we would like to see Steven inhabit this upcoming television season.
Dynasty (The CW)
A reboot of the classic primetime soap that ran from 1981 to 1989, 2017’s Dynasty did not get off to the very best of starts. From oil to clean energy, Denver to Atlanta and homophobia to out and proud, the new series updated a lot of the original show in a good way. Unfortunately, even with these updates, the stories were shaky, acting questionable, and characters both boring and silly at the same time. But then at the midway point of Season 1, everything took a change for the better. Generally, isn’t this when shows tend to fall off creatively? Dynasty took the opposite route and for that, I am ecstatic.
But where can Steven R. McQueen come in? Currently, Nicollette Sheridan’s Alexis Carrington is shacking up with Hank Sullivan, the con man pretending to be her missing son Adam Carrington. But that’s obviously a very short-sided scheme and I can’t imagine it lasting much of season 2. That said, someone as vivacious as Alexis should have a steady stream of younger hunks.
Enter Steven R. McQueen as Dex Dexter, the charismatic, mature businessman who captured Alexis’ heart in the original series becoming her other great love. Dex is like the elevated version of a boytoy — a hunk toy. He’s a smart, ambitious entrepreneur and his relationship with Alexis is full of so many passionate ups and downs that it’s hard to keep up sometimes but wow, is it fun! I think it’s high time that Steven get to play a more grown up role instead of high school and college aged students even with that baby face.
Batwoman (The CW)
Pictured: Steven McQueen as Jimmy Borrelli — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)
Earlier this year, it was announced that the DC TV crossover on the CW would introduce Batwoman to the Berlantiverse. With the pilot in development and Orange is the New Black star Ruby Rose cast as Kate Kane, we could soon see Batwoman go to series.
During the 52 run of DC Comics, Kate Kane (Batwoman) appears in the DC Infinite Holiday Special (2006) issue where she is joined by Nightwing. He becomes slightly infatuated with her and on Christmas Eve, gives her an “official” Batarang. The two characters work together many times throughout DC Comics history and it wouldn’t be crazy to think we could see a version of Nightwing on the new series.
For years, Steven has been campaigning to play Dick Grayson’s alter ego, Nightwing on social media; posting Twitter and Instagram photos of himself next to Nightwing, workout videos titled “Nightwing training”, and even tweeting at some of the producers from the CW superhero shows.
It was heavily rumored he was trying to get in to TNT when they were the original developers of the Titans series that ended up on the DC Universe streaming service debuting this October. We think he’d be the perfect choice to star alongside Ruby Rose (cast earlier this year) as her friend and ally Dick Grayson. This allows for more members of the Bat Family to appear without having to introduce Batman himself. Bruce Wayne can be an overwhelming presence and as this series is focusing on Batwoman, we wouldn’t want such a larger than life character to overshadow her. Dick Grayson, however, can lend a familiarity to the audience while not stepping on her toes.
Charmed (The CW)
The upcoming fantasy drama premiering on The CW this fall is a reboot of the popular WB series that ran for eight seasons from 1998-2006. Set in the fictional college town of Hilltowne, the new series begins with sisters Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie Vera (Sarah Jeffery) living with their mother Marisol (Valerie Cruz) who is attacked and killed by an unknown demonic force. Three months later, Mel and Maggie discover they have an older half-sister, Macy Vaughn (Madeline Mantock), who was kept a secret by their mother for years. The first time the sisters are under the same roof, they start exhibiting new magical abilities.
While Rupert Evans has already been cast as Harry Greenwood, the sisters’ Whitelighter, who’s to say this series will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and make him the love interest for one of the sisters. Perhaps Steven could play a re-imagined Cole Turner, the human alter-ego of powerful demon Belthazor stirring up trouble and romance for the girls.
The Gifted (Fox)
The Fox television series based on Marvel Comics X-Men properties, returns for season 2 on September 25th. At the end of the first season, several members of the underground leave to join the Inner Circle and the second season will focus on the conflict between these groups as well as others with their own extreme ideologies. Emma Dumont plays Lorna Dane/Polaris, a brave and loyal mutant whose abilities include controlling magnetism; she is “unstable” due to bipolar disorder and currently pregnant by her boyfriend Marcos Diaz/Eclipse. At the end of season 1, Lorna has been encouraged by the Frost sisters to embrace her heritage (she is the daughter of Magneto) and is seemingly in charge of the Inner Circle.
While Marcos/Eclipse is her love interest currently, in the comics, she has a different great love, Alexander Summers aka Havok. The brother of popular X-Men character, Cyclops, he is a mutant possessing the power to absorb ambient cosmic energy, process it and emanate it from his body as waves of energy that heat the air in the path, turning it into plasma in the form of a blast or discharge in a concentric circle pattern. He is immune to the effects of most forms of radiation and heat. In Marvel Comics, Havok and Polaris were among the first new mutants to join the X-Men following the original five. Their romance persisted for decades and their bond continued even when they left the X-Men to start a new version of the government-backed mutant team called X-Factor. Steven would be a perfect choice for Lorna’s one true love.
Titans (DC Universe)
The DC Universe streaming service launched their first original series based on the DC Comics characters Teen Titans on October 12, 2018. The first season will see the coming together of Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing), Rachel Roth (Raven), Kory Anders (Starfire), and Garfield “Gar” Logan (Beast Boy) as they find their way to each other and form one of the most beloved crime fighting teams in DC Comics. Fans of the characters know that Robin will eventually become Nightwing and this series will seek to tell that story, but there is another DC Comics character that has been a part of the Teen Titans who also transformed from one hero alter-ego to another, that of Roy Harper (Speedy).
Photo: Steven R. McQueen Credit: Copyright 2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bonnie Marquette
Fans of the Arrowverse on the CW know Roy Harper’s alter ego as Arsenal played by Colton Haynes on Arrow. In DC Comics, before Roy Harper was Arsenal, he was Speedy, the teen sidekick of Green Arrow. In 1971, the “Snowbirds Don’t Fly” story arc, a two-part anti-drug story arc which appeared in Green Lantern/Green Arrow issues 85 and 86, won the Shazam Award for “Best Individual Story”. It told the story of Roy Harper becoming addicted to heroin and overcoming that addiction.
Titans is a much grittier, edgier drama than the CW shows, and while Colton Haynes does a fantastic job over there, Steven could play the hardened version of this character. Much as this new show will tell the story of how Robin becomes Nightwing, it could also tell us how Speedy becomes Arsenal. Perhaps in a potential Season 2 story arc, the Titans adopt Speedy into their circle; he’s left Green Arrow because he’s afraid Oliver Queen will find out about his heroin addiction. Now that they’re established as a team, the Titans can help Roy overcome his demons and become the hero we know as Arsenal.
What’s your fantasy casting for Steven R. McQueen?
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