The now grown-up Nancy Drew will be portrayed by Person of Interest and The L Word actress Sarah Shahi.
The Hollywood Reporter relays the news of Shahi’s casting, describing the CBS television series as finding “Nancy (Shahi) now in her 30s and serving as a detective for the NYPD, where she investigates and solves crimes using her uncanny observational skills, all while navigating the complexities of life in a modern world.”
In addition, “CBS’ take finds Nancy joining the NYPD after college, where she was named the youngest female NYPD homicide detective. She was a star — until she arrested the wrong guy, was publicly called on it and quit the force. Drew will find her struggling to find a way back to the confident character she’s best known as to audiences worldwide.”
As THR previously reported, CBS Entertainment President Glenn Geller is calling for a diverse cast for Drew, having stated that the main character would not be Caucasian.
Shahi, who is Persian, fits this bill perfectly and falls in line with the direction Geller promised Drew would walk in. Amidst whitewashing controversies for films such as Gods of Egypt and the #OscarsSoWhite outcry, to be reporting on news like this is refreshing.
Besides, the character will be living and working in New York City, a richly diverse metropolitan area. The show should do its best to reflect the reality of the city it’s portraying.
Nancy Drew is a feminist icon, and many young girls grew up reading about her adventures over the years. There have been many adaptations across the decades, but this is certainly one of the most exciting ones to date. For older fans to be able to see a grown up Nancy will, hopefully, mean the show can appeal to a wider audience and bring us some modern twists along the way.