Casting notes: John Malcovich is a pirate; Martin Mull, Seth MacFarlane team up

There’s a ton of casting news coming out right now across all of TV, so we’re going to store some of the latest updates in this article that don’t constitute enough content for a larger article.

Let’s begin with the news that while Hugh Laurie is not ultimately going to be a pirate for the upcoming NBC summer series “Crossbones,” John Malcovich is … and we really could not be happier to hear the news. Sources have confirmed that the seriously underrated character actor will be featured as the show’s version of Blackbeard for the upcoming ten episodes that will ultimately constitute this show (which we could see as either a miniseries or a larger show depending on how the producers ultimately decide to play their deck).

Now, for some of the other headlines making their way across the TV world.

-Martin Mull has signed on for Seth MacFarlane’s first live-action pilot “Dads,” where he will be playing the part of a father who moves in with his video game designer son and is completely unaware of all of the damage that he is ultimately causing to his life.

-Christian Slater is once again going to make this whole starring in a TV show thing work. The actor, most recently from the strong-but-unfortunate-canceled “Breaking In,” will star alongside Steve Zahn in the ABC pilot “Influence.” This show comes from “Awake” creator Kyle Killen, so there is promise.

-Tim Kring (“Heroes,” “Touch”) is developing a conspiracy series entitled “The Drake Equation,” which he is selling to networks. Hopefully, it will have more than just a great idea and a solid first half of a season.

Is there any news here that stands out to you? If you want to check out some more of the latest pilot-season scoop, be sure to check out the story over at the link here.

Photo: NBC