‘True Blood’ Gears Up With Major Season Three Castings

First Published: December 16, 2009 5:31 PM EST Credit: AP

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Caption Alfre woodard looks amazing as she posesIt seems like nary a day has gone by recently when exciting casting news hasn’t been reported about HBO’s “True Blood.”

The biggest name to join the cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is acclaimed actress Alfre Woodard. Alfre will guest star as the mother of Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), and also the aunt of Tara (Rutina Wesley).

Alfre also recently joined TNT’s dramedy pilot for “Delta Blues,” in a co-starring role.

Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello reports that Joe Manganiello, previously of “One Tree Hill” and “How I Met Your Mother,” has landed the biggest role of the new season – Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) werewolf crush, Alcide Herveaux.

According to EW, “If Alan Ball follows Charlaine Harris’ books, Eric will summon Alcide — described in casting breakdowns as good-looking, rough-around-the-edges, articulate, heroic, and decent — to assist Sookie in her search for Bill.”

The Hollywood Reporter also broke the Alcide news, and added in that actor Cooper Huckabee would play the role of Sam Merlotte’s (Sam Trammell) dad.

Previously, EW had announced that Tony winner J. Smith-Cameron has been cast in the recurring role of Sam Merlotte’s (Sam Trammell) estranged mother, Melinda. Even earlier, The Hollywood Reporter and EW had reported that “Prison Break’s” Marshall Allman would play Melinda’s son (and Sam’s younger brother).

While reporting the Allman booking, EW reported that Shannon Lucio (also of “Prison Break,” and “The O.C.”) would play the role of Bill’s long lost wife from the Civil War, Caroline.

And yet even previously, EW reported “actress-model Natasha Alam (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is joining the season 3 cast in the potentially recurring role of Yvetta, Eric’s new dancer at Fangtasia.”

EW continued by reporting that character actor Gregg Daniel (“NYPD Blue,” “Desperate Housewives”) was tapped to play Reverend Daniels, to whom Tara’s mom will turn for comfort.

And even earlier, EW reported that James Frain (“The Tudors”) “was cast in the heavily recurring role of Franklin Mott, Tara’s over-protective vampire squeeze.” They report that the English actor will debut in the second episode of the show’s upcoming third season.

Ausiello wrote that, “The casting breakdown for the role describes Franklin as a tall, dark, and handsome vampire who seems to have an ‘immediate and torrid’ connection to Tara.’ In the books, Franklin is essentially Tara’s sugar daddy…”

And finally, The Hollywood Reporter had broken the news that “Ugly Betty’s” Grant Bowler would play Coot, the leader of a wild pack of werewolf bikers. And Theo Alexander (“Chuck,” “Pushing Daisies”) was cast as Talbot, a vampire boyfriend to Denis O’Hare’s Mississsippi vampire king, Russell Edgington.

Phew! And all of these were announced in the past two weeks.

We wonder if Alan Ball is done? And, is it June 2010 yet?!

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