You may not have heard of him. But given Joss Whedon's ability to spot unknown talent and turn them into superstars, chances are you'll be flocking to as convention at some point to get a glimpse of him.

Brett Dalton, who has had guest stints in shows like "Blue Bloods" on CBS and "Army Wives," has been cast as one of the lead actors in Whedon's "The Avengers" sister series "SHIELD." He will play Agent Grant, a "deadly and precise fighter who may lack a little bit in the 'people skills' department," according to TV Line.

Dalton already joins Marvel movies actor Clark Gregg as well as former "Stargate: Universe" star Ming-Na Wen for the series. Gregg will play Agent Coulson, a role he played in films like "The Avengers," "Thor" and "Iron Man 2." Wen will play weapons expert Melinda May.

The latest project for Dalton is actually one that has brought two unlikely writers together. One-time "Star Trek" film writer Erik Jendresen has penned "Killing Lincoln" based on the book by conservative political commentator Bill O'Reilly. The film stars Billy Campbell of "The Killing" fame as Abraham Lincoln, the third actor in a 12-month period to play the former president in mainstream media, although this will be a cable movie. The project will reportedly be narrated by Tom Hanks.

Whedon, who was a writer and director for "The Avengers," penned the script with his brother Jed Whedon and his sister-in-law, Maurissa Tancharoen. As a television writer and producer, Whedon made stars of people like Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Nathan Fillion, David Boreanaz and Summer Glau.

ABC is trying to get the series ready for a fall launch, to help tie it into the highly successful Marvel movies franchise. "The Avengers" alone grossed $623.3 million at the domestic box office, and $891 million worldwide. It's the third highest-grossing movie in history behind only "Avatar" and "Titanic."