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ABC/CRAIG SJODIN

In the worst-kept secret?at Comic-Con 2009, the Flash Forward show runners revealed via dramatic video footage?and a late appearance by the actor himself?that Dominic Monaghan will indeed star in ABC's newest high-concept sci-fi drama, premiering Sept. 24. ?

Charlie may be dead on Lost (maybe), but Dom is very much alive as Simon, "a game-changer character who f--ks up a lot of things," as he was described by the ever-pithy show runner David Goyer (Batman Begins, Dark Knight).

Dom joins an all-star cast that includes Star Trek's John Cho, Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order) and another British Lost-ie, Sonya Walger (Penny). Their characters all glimpse their lives six months in the future during two minutes of unconsciousness in which the entire population flashes forward.

So does Dom's casting mean he definitely won't return to Lost? Read on to hear how the actor envisions his future...

"When people ask if me I'm coming back to Lost, that's the equivalent of asking Huckleberry Finn if he's coming back to Mark Twain," said Dominic. "I'm a fictional character. I have no control over that."

When asked whether Flash Forward is really a Lost "companion piece," as it's been characterized by the media, the former Hobbit points out that the new ABC show has a "large impressive international cast [and is a] worldwide show?a world event?with mystery, drama and suspense, but ultimately tells the story through characters. So in that way it's heavily influenced by Lost."

"But it's also its own beast. I just kinda know what you guys know. A world event takes place for about two and a half minutes...Everyone becomes a prophet of their life. It's just a huge headf--k."

So why did Dominic choose to play another role on an ABC series? "I want to play someone who's the opposite of Charlie. [And Flash Forward's Simon] is a man?this guy's not scared, he's capable, he's unflappable, he's smart, he's scary, he's everything that Charlie wasn't...I love Charlie?that was a time of my life. But it's important to me to continue to show an audience that I can play more...if no one knows what I'm going to play next, it gives me more choices."

When asked about coping with his fame, the talk of Comic-Con says, "That? is the price I pay for doing the job I love. At some point in the future I'll probably take a step back. Have babies and make honey."

Hmmm...Evangeline Lilly would sure make some pretty babies. We're just sayin'.

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