Following the addition of Jacqueline Grace Lopez (Light as a Feather), Deadline reports that Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross has officially signed on for a leading role in The CW’s upcoming Jane the Novela, the Jane the Virgin spinoff pilot.
The spin-off series will loosely be based on the original series’ setup where the plot will also follow the story of a imaginative Latina woman, who is caught in a love triangle between her boyfriend Luen and a rich handsome guy named Felix.
Cross is set to portray the role of Felix’s manipulative and glamorous mother, Renata, Her character description reads: “She will stop at nothing to secure her son’s legacy, even if it means standing in the way of his happiness.”
Marcia Cross is best known for her role as Bree Van de Kamp in ABC’s Desperate Housewives which had earned her three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Her other TV credits include: Melrose Place, Seinfeld, Everwood and Quantico.
RELATED: The CW Announces That Arrow Will End After Season 8
Jane the Novela is envisioned as a soapy, telenovela-inspired anthology series in the tradition of Jane the Virgin, where each season is based on a different fictional novel “written by” Jane Villanueva and narrated by the author herself.
The first installment takes place at a Napa Valley Vineyard, where family secrets (and family members) don’t stay buried for long. It centers on Estela (Lopez), an up and coming art curator who has spent years playing it safe and coloring within the lines. But a shocking secret changes everything and forces her to live a double life.
RELATED: The CW Orders Jane & Riverdale Spinoffs, Plus Lost Boys & Nancy Drew
Jane the Telenovela mirrors the setup of the original series. It too follows a driven, imaginative twenty-something Latina woman (Lopez) who is torn between her boyfriend, Luen, and Felix, a handsome, rich guy. In this case, Luen is head of security while Felix co-owns a winery vs. Jane Villanueva’s (Gina Rodriguez) cop boyfriend Michael and rich love interest Rafael, co-owner of the Marbella hotel.
Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez will executive produce the project alongside Jennie Snyder Urman and Joanna Klein of Sutton Street Productions; Emily Gipson of Rodriguez’s I Can and I will banner; Ben Silverman of Propagate Content; Jorge Granier; and Gary Pearl. Brad Silberling will direct and executive produce the CBS Television Studios pilot. Jane the Virgin writer Valentina Garza will pen the pilot.
