USA Network has greenlit the pilot “White Collar,” lifting the cast contingency for the project starring Matthew Bomer (“Chuck,” “Tru Calling”) and Tim DeKay (“Tell Me You Love Me,” “Carnivale”), with Bronwen Hughes (“Burn Notice,” “Breaking Bad,” “Forces of Nature”) set to direct. “White Collar” was created and is executive produced by Jeff Eastin (“Hawaii,” “Meet the Marks”) and comes from Fox Television Studios. The announcement was made today by Jackie de Crinis, USA’s executive vice president, original programming.
“USA is ramping up its production slate by adding a third pilot to its roster with ‘White Collar,'” said de Crinis. “The unique dynamic of Matthew Bomer and Tim DeKay adds two memorable characters to the roster that defines the USA brand.”
Bomer started his career by moving to New York where he landed a couple of roles on the soap operas “All My Children” and “The Guiding Light.” He went on to land a recurring role as Luc on “Tru Calling.” Most recently, he appeared in the NBC hit show “Chuck” as Bryce Larkin and in “Traveler” as Jay Burchell. His movie credits include Flightplan and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning as well as the television series “North Shore.” Bomer is the son of former Dallas Cowboy John Bomer.
DeKay was most recently seen as a series regular on the HBO series “Tell Me You Love Me” and “Carnivale.” His television credits include recurring roles on “My Name Is Earl,” “Everwood,” “Party of Five,” “If These Walls Could Talk” and “Seinfeld,” where he played Bizarro Jerry. His numerous guest star appearances include roles on “CSI,” “Without A Trace,” “NCIS,” “Cold Case,” “Friends,” “Numb3ers,” “Malcom in the Middle,” “Ally McBeal” and “The 4400,” just to name a few. His feature work includes the films The Chumscrubber, Walkout, Peaceful Warrior, Control, Welcome to the Neighborhood, Swordfish and Big Eden. DeKay is also known for his extensive theater work. He was seen on Broadway in “The Show-Off,” in the off-Broadway “Billy Budd” at Circle in the Square and in the National Tour of “The Lion In Winter.”
Hughes is best known for her directorial work on AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” Showtime’s “The L Word,” USA’s hit original series “Burn Notice,” as well as her feature work on Stander and Forces of Nature. She is currently in production as director and writer on the film Journey, starring Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter” films) about the life of artist and photojournalist, Dan Eldon. She was nominated in 2005 for a Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction for the feature film Stander, starring Thomas Jane and Deborah Kara Unger.
“White Collar” is about the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years. Neal Caffrey (Bomer), an incredibly charming criminal mastermind, is finally caught by his nemesis, G-Man extraordinaire Peter Stokes (DeKay). When Neal escapes from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Peter nabs him once again. Rather than returning to jail for his daring getaway, Neal suggests an alternate plan: he’ll provide his cunning criminal expertise to assist the Feds in catching other notorious and elusive criminals. Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that cannot be found on the right side of the law.
