March 21, 2016 - 18:09 AMT
“Rocky” alum Carl Weathers joins “Chicago Justice” spinoff

Carl Weathers has joined the cast of NBC’s “Chicago Justice,” the latest planted spinoff in Dick Wolf’s franchise of Chicago-set procedural dramas, Variety reveals.

Weathers will play State’s Attorney Mark Jefferies in the upcoming “Justice” episode of “Chicago P.D.” The episode is designed to be prototype for a fourth “Chicago” series, this time focusing on the legal system. NBC launched “Chicago Fire” in 2012, followed by “Chicago P.D.” in 2014 and “Chicago Med” last fall.

Philip Winchester, Nazneen Contractor and Joelle Clark are set for lead roles in “Justice.” The episode is set to air May 11, five days before NBC unveils its 2016-17 program lineup to advertisers at its upfront in New York.

Weathers is known for his role as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” movies. More recently he’s appeared in such series as USA Network’s “Colony,” Fox’s “Brothers” and “Arrested Development” and FX’s “The Shield.”

The casting news was unveiled Saturday night at PaleyFest as part of its tribute to Wolf, the veteran uber-showrunner who built the “Law & Order” universe.

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