Stella Maeve, Hale Appleman and Arjun Gupta have been cast in key roles for the upcoming pilot The Magicians, an adaptation of Lev Grossman’s best-selling book series, which begins production in New Orleans this December. Another Earth’s Mike Cahill has signed on to direct.

The Magicians, produced by Universal Cable Productions, follows 20-somethings who, while studying magic in New York, discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real and poses grave danger to humanity. John McNamara and Sera Gamble will write the script, with Michael London as producer.

Maeve will play the beautiful and confident Julia, a wealthy and brilliant Ivy-Leaguer who seems destined for success. But Julia’s future plans are forever altered after she is denied admittance to the mysterious Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. Unaccustomed to failure, Julia finds life meaningless now that the possibilities of a previously unseen magical world have been denied to her. But she may get another chance to pursue a career in magic when she’s recruited by a secret society.

Appleman will portray Eliot, a student at the Brakebills, an odd combination of a preppy with intrinsic coolness. Effortlessly hip, with his air of self-possession, Eliot is accustomed to commanding any clique, and he’s a natural leader of his fellow magical students. He will prove a sometimes frustrating ally in Quentin’s fortunes – and may soon factor into a series of perilous adventures.

Arjun Gupta will be Penny, a young man with an edgy look and attitude. He’s deliberately intimidating to Quentin, his new roommate and fellow magic student at Brakebills. A reluctant telepath, he is bedevilled by voices that hint at pathways to other worlds.