Jesse Metcalfe joins 'Dead Rising

'Desperate Housewives' star Jesse Metcalfe has been cast in 'Dead Rising: Watchtower'.

Meghan Ory ('Once Upon a Time'), Virginia Madsen and Dennis Haysbert (24) have also joined the zombie video game adaptation, reported Deadline.

The Legendary and Crackle project will be directed by Leprechaun: Origins' Zach Lipovsky.

The film centres around a failed attempt to vaccinate against a zombie outbreak.

The survivors go on the run, stumbling onto a government conspiracy that might be the root of the epidemic.

'Dead Rising' will be the first project from Legendary's Digital Media division.