Among the many, many heartbreaks to come with actor Anton Yelchin’s death, the Star Trek star had officially signed onto a series adaptation of Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes not a month before the accident. The AT&T series has now begun moving forward, setting a familiar Penny Dreadful star in the role Yelchin was to play.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Penny Dreadful star Harry Treadaway will take over the title Mr. Mercedes role of Brady Hartsfield, described as “a mentally deranged ice cream truck driver and IT worker who is secretly the Mercedes Killer.” So, spoiler alert, I guess.

The David E. Kelley series set to run on the AT&T Audience Network is adapted from Stephen King’s 2014 book of the same name, and also stars Brendan Gleeson as Detective Bill Hodges, “a retired cop driven out of retirement when an old nemesis reappears.” AT&T had given Mr. Mercedes a straight-to-series order in May, prior to the 27 year-old Yelchin’s tragic accident in June.

Kelley will act as showrunner, with LOST and Game of Thrones helmer Jack Bender set to direct. For the moment at least, Mr. Mercedes is on track for an unspecified 2018 debut on DirecTV and AT&T U-verse.

More From KISS FM