At last week's Comic-Con, the new showrunners of ABC's Life on Mars remake revealed the big name they were after to top off their newly altered cast - Harvey Keitel, the Oscar nominee has been hired to play the pivotal role of Gene Hunt, the hard-hitting head of the1973 police unit which Sam Tyler finds himself in.

After an initial pilot was made, an unhappy ABC chose to start over - changing the showrunner, main shooting location and most of the cast. Only Irishman Jason O'Mara has survived into the second pilot. Hunt is the last major character to be cast on the port of  successful BBC series, where he was played by Philip Glenister.

Other announced casting for Life on Mars includes The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli (as Ray Carling), Jonathan Murphy (as Chris Skelton), the adorable looking Gretchen Mol (as Annie Cartwright) and Lisa Bonet (as Sam Tyler's girlfriend from the present day).

Life on Mars concerns a modern-day policeman who is mysteriously transported back to the 1970s and seeks to understand his predicament. Filming on the series begins on 5th August in and around New York City

---