Terrence Howard joins 'L&O: Los Angeles' cast

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — "Law & Order: Los Angeles" is getting another big-name prosecutor.

Oscar-nominated Terrence Howard is joining the cast of the new NBC drama and will rotate with co-star Alfred Molina as deputy district attorney, series creator Dick Wolf told the Television Critics Association on Friday.

"I feel like manager of the 1961 Yankees. I have my Mantle and Maris," Wolf said, referring to famed sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

Howard, an Oscar nominee for "Hustle & Flow," also has appeared in the films "Iron Man," "Crash" and "Ray."

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Also joining the cast is Corey Stoll, who will play a police detective. Stoll appears in the new Angelina Jolie film "Salt" and guest-starred in the original "Law & Order."

His character is partner to Skeet Ulrich's detective.

Wolf was circumspect about the demise of the original "Law & Order" series, which was canceled by NBC after a 20-year run that tied the record set by "Gunsmoke" but lost the chance to break it.

"That's business. That's life. Everything on TV is born under a death sentence. They just don't tell you the execution date," Wolf said, adding that the show had a great run.

Asked if money had been the dealbreaker in renewal talks with NBC, Wolf retorted, "You can't believe we're going to discuss negotiations."

"There's so many factors that entered into the network's decision. ... In the 25 years I've been continuously on the air at NBC, we've never failed to make a deal when there was a deal to be made," he said.