Ray Donovan alumna Paula Malcomson has been tapped for a pivotal guest-starring role and Blake Ritson (Da Vinci’s Demons) has been cast as a series regular (and a villain) in Syfy’s Superman prequel series Krypton, set for premiere in 2018.

Based on DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Krypton is set two generations before the destruction of the legendary Man of Steel’s home planet. It follows Superman’s grandfather (Cameron Cuffe) — whose House of El was ostracized and shamed — as he fights to redeem his family’s honor and save his beloved world from chaos.

Malcomson will play Charys, the matriarch of House El. Charys helps her son Seg navigate the treacherous pitfalls of Kandor City, their Kryptonian home embattled with oppression and revolt. The role has been recast after the pilot.

DC Entertainment

Ritson will play Brainiac. A parasitic, hyper-advanced alien android of immense intelligence, Brainiac is one of Superman’s oldest and most dangerous foes.

In addition to Cuffe, the show also stars Georgina Campbell, Elliot Cowan, Ann Ogbomo, Rasmus Hardiker, Wallis Day, Aaron Pierre and Ian McElhinney.

The series hails from Warner Horizon Scripted Television and is executive produced by David S. Goyer through his Phantom Four banner. Cameron Welsh serves as executive producer and showrunner.

Malcomson is coming off her five-season run as Abby on Ray Donovan and will soon begin work on BBC’s upcoming miniseries, Come Home, opposite Christopher Eccleston. She is repped by UTA and Troika.

Ritson co-starred as Riario in Da Vinci’s Demons for Starz and was most recently seen playing the villain Charlie Havistock in Channel 4’s Indian Summers. He’s repped by Curtis Brown, ICM Partners and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.