Paula Patton will star in ABC’s drama pilot “Runner,”


Patton will play the lead, Lauren Marks, a woman whose perfect life is torn apart by one twist of fate. To uncover the truth, Lauren must follow a trail of lies that take her into the world of cartels and the illegal gun trade between the U.S. and Mexico.

Australian director Michael Offer (“How to Get Away With Murder,” “Longmire”) will direct the pilot from 20th Century Fox and ABC Studios. “Runner” was penned by Michael Cooney, who will exec produce with Peter Horton, Ian Sander, Kim Moses and Jon Cowan, with Cowan as showrunner.

The project marks Patton’s first-ever TV series as a regular. She co-starred in “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” with Tom Cruise, “Deja Vu” with Denzel Washington and “Precious.” Patton will also star in “Warcraft,” alongside Travis Fimmel and Dominic Cooper, set to hit theaters in 2016.

Patton is repped by CAA; Brian Medavoy and Erwin More of More Medavoy; and Shelby Weiser and Jason Sloane of Sloane, Offer, Weber, Dern.