Mistresses’ Actress Shelley Conn Cast in New Spielberg Sci-fi Show

Shelley Conn first dazzled us as Jessica Fraser on the 2008 BBC drama, Mistresses, but now the British television actress has her sights set on wowing America when she stars in FOX’s sci-fi thriller, Terra Nova, next year.

The Independent reports that Conn will play Elizabeth Shannon, a housewife from the year 2149 who travels back to prehistoric times in an attempt to fix human errors that lead to extinction and pollution. Irish actor Jason O'Mara, who portrayed Sam Tyler in the US remake of Life On Mars, is cast as her husband Jim Shannon. The role of Commander Frank Taylor will be played by Stephen Lang, aka Avatar's resident evildoer Colonel Miles Quaritch.

At the helm of this project is prized American filmmaker and director Steven Spielberg and word on the street is that Terra Nova is the most expensively produced show yet thanks to its high-tech special effects akin to James Cameron's Avatar. Filming is set to begin this month in Queensland, Australia.

Conn has also appeared in episodes of Casualty, Mersey Beat, and Party Animals, all on the BBC.

Here's a look back at one of Conn's performances on Mistresses: