FOX pilot 'Rake' pulls in Miranda Otto as female lead

She slayed the Witch King. Greg Kinnear doesn't stand a chance.

Miranda Otto — best known for her portrayal of the heroic Eowyn of Rohan in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy — has been cast as the female lead opposite Kinnear in the FOX comedic drama pilot Rake.

She will play Maddy, the exhausted ex-wife of brilliant but self-destructive criminal defense attorney Keegan Joye (Kinnear). Described as an "earth-mother" type, Maddy is grounded, caring, intelligent, and a strong woman who is hesitantly serving as her former husband's psychiatrist. Sounds like a massive conflict of interest to me.

Necar Zadegan of The CW's recently canceled Emily Owens, MD has also joined the cast in the role of Scarlett, one of Keegan's best friends. Although she is now married to his other best friend Ben, Scarlett used to "hook up" with Keegan when she ran with the law school crowd.

Based on the Australian series, Rake documents the personal trials and tribulations of the frustratingly charming Keegan Joye, including his ongoing battle against the IRS, his mounting debt to his bookie, overlapping affairs and liaisons with women, a hormonal son, his ex-wife, and the evolving relationship between his two married best friends, Ben and Scarlett.

A semi-interesting bit of trivia: in the late '90s, Miranda Otto dated fellow Aussie actor Richard Roxburgh, who plays the lead role on the original Australian series.