AceShowbiz -

NBC is bringing back Rob Lowe and Jenna Fischer on "Apocalypse". The two actors, along with Megan Mullally, Mathew Baynton, Pauline Quirke, Paterson Joseph and Joel Fry, have been announced as cast members of the dramedy which is a joint project of NBC and Britain's Sky 1.

The hour-long series is described as "a bold, adrenaline-fueled series. Set against a backdrop of apocalyptic chaos, the story follows an extended family whose lives start to intersect in the most unexpected ways. Their renewed connections are triggered by the news that a comet is on an unavoidable collision course toward Earth."

Lowe will play Father Jude, "a foul-mouthed priest." Other characters include "an unhinged white supremacist, a mild-mannered bank manager, a germ-phobic cyber-terrorist, a five-star general and a child who (possibly) rose from the dead." According to NBC's description of the show, "some of them are destined to make it to a bunker deep beneath the ground, and as a result will become the unlikely (and frankly, somewhat unsuitable) future of mankind."

"This is an out-of-the-box and wholly original project that offers just the right combination of both high drama and humor," says NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. "With a stellar cast that includes Rob Lowe, Megan Mullally, Jenna Fischer and Matthew Baynton - all four who know how to expertly balance those lines - we're ready to dive into the 'Apocalypse'."

Iain Hollands writes the 10-episode dramedy and Michael Engler is set to direct the first two episodes. Production will star later this month.