Donnie Wahlberg’s Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue has cast Sonequa Martin-Green.
The 40-year-old former Walking Dead actress will play Lena Peters, a detective whose family has a law enforcement background.
In the show Peters is partnered with Danny Reagan, 55-year-old Wahlberg’s reprised Blue Bloods role, according to a Variety report.
Both Wahlberg and Martin-Green appeared at a CBS press briefing in Los Angeles on Wednesday to announce the update.
Lena reportedly said about the show’s main characters, ‘We love the Reagans. We have all loved the Reagans for so long. And I feel that we’ll love the Peters too.’
She added, ‘I’m super excited for this partnership, and to be back in a CBS family — and in this family, your family. It means a lot, and I’m grateful for it. I think we’re going to have a good time.’
Donnie, an executive producer on the forthcoming series, described Sonequa as ‘not the first choice — the only choice.’
Per Variety, he stated, ‘One thing about Blue Bloods and how beloved it was is because there are so many law enforcement families in this country. There’s not just the Reagans. They’re in every state, every city, every town, everywhere, and there are other families around that have stories to tell too.’
Turning to the novel series, he noted, ‘Danny’s story will continue the Reagan family. You can’t have Danny without Reagans — there’ll be connective tissue. But we’re also going to get to discover a new family and and carry on the tradition of telling their stories.’
The offshoot show was confirmed by CBS in February, along with the update that the story would move from New York City to Boston.
Blue Bloods debuted in 2010, following a family of New York City cops led by patriarch Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck).
In addition to Danny, family also included Frank’s son Jamie (Will Estes) and daughter Erin (Bridget Moynihan).
The series, which ran for 14 seasons spanning 293 episodes, came to a close with the finale in December 2024.
Donnie is said to be at odds with ex co-star Tom over the spinoff.
RadarOnline reported earlier this year that he was furious to learn about Donnie’s new leading role, with a source calling his moving forward with the show a ‘huge betrayal’ and ‘the end’ of their friendship.
Selleck, 80, reportedly fought to stop Blue Bloods from ending.
‘This is a HUGE betrayal,’ the insider dished to the outlet. ‘The Reagans never left New York. Now Danny’s just up and moving to Boston? Selleck is furious. It’s like throwing the rest of the cast away, including the star.’
It was added, ‘Tom considered himself this father figure to Donnie and helped him with his acting skills, and now he’s found out everything going on behind his back. It’s a huge burn. He feels a sense of betrayal and is furious over the news.’
The site also claimed Wahlberg could have stopped the Boston Blue from happening, but was more enticed by money than loyalty.