The Torchwood news continues to trickle onto the web, with the announcement that Mekhi Phifer from the series Lie To Me, will be joining the cast of Torchwood: The New World. He will be set as a lead character to act opposite John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) in the upcoming fourth series.

Phifer will be playing a CIA agent named Rex Matheson, who Deadline points out is “a fast-tracked high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor who starts to feel his mortality when his life is put in danger.” It is unclear at this point whether he is allied with Torchwood or otherwise.

Torchwood: The New World is a joint venture between BBC and Starz USA that will see the series move out from its Cardiff, Wales, setting into a more international focus. Filming and production is said to include the UK, the United States, and Canada, under direction from showrunner Russell T. Davies.

For those who don’t know, Torchwood is a spin-off from Doctor Who (added bonus to this article: Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who. Your mind just got blown). Captain Jack Harkness, once a companion of the Doctor, moved forward in consolidating an organization called Torchwood which aimed to arm and protect the human race from upcoming alien threats in the 21st century.

Once established as a war-like defense organization and portrayed as being run by irresponsible people, Harkness remakes Torchwood following The Battle of Canary Wharf, reshaping it into an organization based upon his lessons from and experience with the Doctor.

Torchwood: The New World is set to air during Summer 2011.

[Source: Deadline.com]