An actress who appeared on the 2009-2010 Joss Whedon series "Dollhouse" on Fox will play the lead in a new drama about the atomic bomb.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports that WGN America has cast Olivia Williams as its female lead in the drama “Manhattan." Besides "Dollhouse," the British-born Williams is known for a series of acclaimed film roles including "The Ghost Writer" (2010) and "The Heart of Me" (2002), for which she was named best actress at the British Independent Film Awards.

"Manhattan" tracks scientists in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as they work on building the first atomic bomb. John Benjamin Hickey of “The Big C” will star as physics professor Frank Winter, who leads the Manhattan Project. Williams will play Liza Winter, a botanist who notices changes in the environment as she works alongside her husband.

Production will begin in March for a July debut, the story notes. The project was picked up by WGN America in a straight-to-series 13-episode order last fall. The project is from Skydance Television, Tribune Studios and Lionsgate Television.

Olivia Williams