Tian Richards Cast As Lead Tom Swift In ‘Nancy Drew’ Spinoff On the CW

Tian Richards (Dumplin’) has been tapped for the role of Tom Swift in an upcoming episode of the CW drama Nancy Drew, which will serve as a backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff series, now in development at the network.

If Tom Swift goes to series, Richards will continue in the title role.

In the planted spinoff episode of Nancy Drew, Tom Swift (Richards) will crash into one of Nancy Drew’s (Kennedy McMann) investigations, an event which Nancy interprets as supernatural and Tom believes to be cosmically paranormal.

Tom Swift, from Nancy Drew co-creators/executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, their Fake Empire banner, and CBS Studios, is considered one of the CW’s strongest early contenders for next season.

Co-created by Nancy Drew’s Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau, with Cameron Johnson, Tom Swift — as previously unveiled by the CW — follows the serialized adventures of its titular Black, gay, billionaire inventor (Richards) who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father. Tom takes to the road on a quest to unravel the truth, leaving behind the comforts of his usual moneyed lifestyle, all while fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale group hell-bent on stopping him. Tom’s missions will require his genius and flair for innovation guided by love, romance, friendship and the mysteries of the universe yet-unsolved.

Like the Nancy Drew books, which inspired The CW series, the Tom Swift book series hails from Stratemeyer Syndicate, which also publishes the Hardy Boys and Bobbsey Twins books.

Richards was most recently seen in Burden opposite Forest Whitaker, which was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival. Additional credits include Netflix’s Dumplin’ with Jennifer Aniston, Being Mary Jane, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and A Bad Mom’s Christmas. He is repped by APA, Stride Management, and Lucy Popkin and Hayes Robbins of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, LLP.

Nancy Drew is a production of CBS Studios in association with Fake Empire, with executive producers Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Lis Rowinski.