Aunjanue Ellis boards 'The Mentalist'

Actress Aunjanue Ellis has signed on for a recurring role on CBS drama The Mentalist.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellis will play the attractive but tough head of California's Bureau of Investigation, taking over from Gregory Itzin's Virgil Minelli.

The character is reportedly brought on to restore morale and discipline to the bureau division following the murders of three agents.

Ellis's Mentalist debut is tentatively slated for April.

She recently co-starred on Broadway in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.