Luke Wilson joins the cast of DC Universe’s Stargirl

DC Universe’s upcoming series Stargirl has added a new face to its cast with a Hollywood veteran signing onto the show.

Luke Wilson has been added to the cast of DC Universe’s Stargirl as Pat Dugan, more commonly referred to by his codename S.T.R.I.P.E., a fifteen-foot robot the he built and created in order to be a superhero. Wilson joins cast members Lou Ferrigno Jr., Henry Thomas, Brian Stapf, and Brec Bassinger in the title role of Stargirl.

According to showrunner Geoff Johns, per Deadline, “I literally wrote this part for Luke, hoping that someday and somehow he would play Pat Dugan. I only envisioned him. And now I feel like I’ve won the lottery!”

Pat Dugan originally appeared all the way back in Action Comics no. 40, created by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman, as the character Stripesy. The character began as the sidekick to the Star-Spangled Kid and essentially being the DC Comics version of Captain America and Bucky. The character was later revamped in 1999 by Geoff Johns in which the character is older and married with his stepdaughter being Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl.

Dugan creates the suit of armor that the character wears in the modern age essentially to again act as a sidekick to Courtney, but also to protect her. Based on the character description given in the Deadline article, the show seems to be following a similar path that the comics laid for the character.

This won’t be S.T.R.I.P.E.’s first appearance on television though having appeared on Justice League Unlimited, along with Stargirl, as well as being mentioned in Smallville. An alternate universe version of the character appears in the animated film Justice League: Gods and Monsters, as well.

Expected to premiere in late August, Stargirl will air exclusively on DC Universe. It is being produced by Melissa Carter, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter and Geoff Shows, who also serves as showrunner and will be writing the first episode.