David Strathairn Might Star in ALPHAS, New Show by LOST Director Jack Bender

In the wake of LOST's conclusion, director Jack Bender (who directed all of the season finales and some of the show's best episodes) has joined forces with the SyFy network to direct a 90-minute pilot for a show called Alphas. In case you're unfamiliar, Deadline provides a fairly concise synopsis of the series.

Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens possessing extraordinary and unusual mental skills who take the law into their own hands and uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve.

Underrated actor David Stathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck; The River Wild) is in talks to join the series as the lead member of the team, who is described as "an eccentric, absent-minded professor at times, who is also a cunning and manipulative power-player willing to bend the rules in pursuit of his objectives."

Ryan Cartwright (who recently had guest spots on Mad Men and Bones) has officially joined the production as a team member with Asperger's Syndrome; his special ability allows him to intercept and interpret wireless transmissions as they pass through the air.

Superpowered-themed shows are all the rage right now, but talent like Strathairn and Jack Bender shouldn't be overlooked. I can't say that I watch any SyFy original programming, but this show has the potential to change that. Consider me cautiously optimistic. What do you think about Alphas?