Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks has reportedly been dumped as the female lead in a new Showtime comedy about roadies working on a rock and roll tour.

According to a report by Deadline, Roadies director and writer Cameron Crowe (Aloha, Almost Famous) decided to re-cast the character after the pilot episode was filmed.

Hendricks, 40, signed on in December and was cast as the lead female in the show which follows the day-to-day lives of crew members working with a touring rock band.

The redhead actress was set to star opposite Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) as the band's production manager, but Crowe is reportedly in the process of re-writing the character.

If given the green light by Showtime to become a series, Roadies will be Crowe's first television show. The pilot has already bagged several big Hollywood names, including upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams as executive producer.

Hendricks has been busy working on several projects since Mad Men finished in May, and will next appear in Dark Places opposite Charlize Theron.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Crowe, a former Rolling Stone reporter, said he was looking forward to directing another project based on the music industry.

"I love that we're finally doing Roadies," Crowe said. "J.J. and I have been talking about it for some time. We're fans of crews, those workers up on the rigging towers, or walking feverishly with eight phones on their belt."

"Those quietly devoted people live huge lives, they're often the real keepers of the flame. So happy to also be telling these stories with Showtime."

Added Abrams, "We had been talking about the series for so long, but when he actually handed me the script, it was funnier and sweeter and wilder than I had ever imagined."

"Roadies is Cameron Crowe at his most musically passionate, colourful character best."

After his much-maligned latest project Aloha received a dismal 19 per cent on review site Rotten Tomatoes, Crowe will be hoping for a successful foray into television with Roadies.