EXCLUSIVE: Vought Rising, Amazon MGM’s prequel to hit comic book series The Boys, has brought on Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live), Mark Pellegrino (American Rust), Eric Johnson (Fifty Shades franchise), and Annie Shapero (House of the Dragon) in recurring roles.

Specifics as to the parts to be played by the four are under wraps. They join a cast led by Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash, which will also feature Mason Dye, Will Hochman, KiKi Layne, Jordan Myrie, Nicolo Pasetti, Elizabeth Posey, Brian J. Smith and Ricky Stafferi as series regulars, as previously announced.

First announced by The Boys collaborators Eric Kripke and Paul Grellong at Comic-Con 2024, Vought Rising’s official logline has been kept under wraps. But in their appearance at the San Diego confab, Kripke and Grellong described the project as “a twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought in the 1950s, the early exploits of Soldier Boy, and the diabolical maneuvers of a Supe known to fans as Stormfront, who was then going by the name Clara Vought.”

Ackles of course plays Soldier Boy, reprising his role from The Boys as the first non-aging American Supe, created by Frederick Vought during World War II. Married to Vought at that time, Stormfront was his first successful test subject for the substance dubbed Compound V, which transforms ordinary people into “Supes.”

The latest expansion of The Boys universe, which also includes Gen V and The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Vought Rising entered production in August. It’s being produced ahead of the conclusion of The Boys, which is expected to return for its fifth and final season next year.

In addition to starring, Cash and Ackles are producing the show, with The Boys EP Grellong showrunning and exec producing alongside The Boys‘ creator, showrunner, EP and writer Kripke. Other executive producers include Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and Michaela Starr. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.

Known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2012-2022, for which she earned multiple Emmy nominations, Strong has subsequently been seen starring in Apple TV+’s musical series, Schmigadoon!, which it was just announced is coming to Broadway for a limited engagement next year. She finished starring in the John Patrick Shanley play Brooklyn Laundry at the Manhattan Theatre Club and is repped by Brillstein and CAA.

In television, Pellegrino has most recently been seen starring alongside Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney in Showtime’s American Rust. Other TV credits include Supernatural, 13 Reasons Why, and Dexter, to name just a few. Recently seen opposite Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, he is repped by Framework Entertainment and Realm Talent.

Best known for starring opposite Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in two of Universal’s Fifty Shades films, Johnson’s also been seen in projects like The Alienist, The Knick, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, American Gods, and A Million Miles Away, among others. He is repped by Gary Goddard Agency and Anonymous Content.

Set to play Alysanne Blackwood aka Black Aly in the third season of HBO’s House of the Dragon, Shapero’s prior credits include Justin Kurzel’s limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North for Prime Video and the Israeli series Red Skies, which won the Best Drama Series award at the TV Series Festival in Berlin. She just wrapped a role in Natalie Erika James’ next feature, Saccharine, and is repped by 42 and Verve in the U.S. and Collective Talent Management in Australia.