Sean Astin and Robert Maillet were recently announced as joining the cast of The Strain.
Astin, the son of actors John Astin and Patty Duke, is well-known for his portrayal of the hobbit Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Maillet, a Canadian professional wrestler, also worked with Guillermo Del Toro in Pacific Rim, where he played Lt. Sasha Kaidanovsky, co-pilot of the Russian Jaeger Cherno Alpha.
Astin will play CDC administrator Jim Kent, while Maillet will play The Master, an ancient vampire and main antagonist of the series. They will join Del Toro and other cast members Corey Stoll, John Hurt, Kevin Durand, Mía Maestro, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, and Natalie Brown when The Strain starts filming in Toronto, Canada on September 2013.