Exclusive: Jeremy Sumpter tackles QB role on 'Friday Night Lights'

Friday Night Lights has found a rival for Matt Saracen, and it’s…Peter Pan? Jeremy Sumpter, who starred in the 2003 film Peter Pan, has been cast as the recurring character J.D. McCoy, a gifted freshman quarterback who moves to Dillon with his family to try to take the starting QB job from Saracen (Zach Gilford). “J.D.’s a straight and narrow kid who’s been bred to be a football player by his father, and lives in the shadow of his father, who’s a big personality,” says exec producer Jason Katims. “There’s an interesting story about this kid feeling somewhat suffocated by his dad and starting to look more to Coach (Kyle Chandler) as a mentor.” As EW.com previously reported, Janine Turner and D.W. Moffett will play J.D.’s parents. (In addition, Deadwood‘s Kim Dickens will serve as Saracen’s mother, who has a tense reunion with her son.) Season 3 of FNL kicks off Oct. 1 on DirecTV, and debuts on NBC in early 2009.