Actress Bethany Joy Lenz to play main character in spin-off of "Suits" series

Actress Bethany Joy Lenz of "One Tree Hill" fame will be playing the main character in the spin-off of the "Suits" series.

Coming on board as series regulars will also be Chantel Riley, Isabel Arraiza and Eli Goree. They join "Suits" actress Gina Torres and fellow series regulars Simon Kassianides and Morgan Spector. The series is starting production here, reports deadline.com.

It will be centered on powerhouse lawyer Jessica Pearson (Torres) as she adjusts to the dirty world of Chicago politics.

The project was introduced in the Season 7 finale of "Suits", which served as a backdoor pilot for the spin-off.

It featured four main characters at the center of the offshoot, played by Torres, Kassianides, Spector and Rebecca Rittenhouse.