David Schwimmer (Friends) and Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas) have been cast as the leads in the upcoming series, Feed The Beast, from AMC and Lionsgate TV.
Feed The Beast is based on a Danish drama titled Bankerot about two best friends who decide to try and fulfill their life-long dream of opening a restaurant. Schwimmer will play the character Tommy Moran and Sturgess will play Dion Patras. Clyde Phillips (Dexter, Nurse Jackie) will adapt/write the TV series, serve as showrunner, and executive produce alongside Henrik Ruben Genz, Malene Blenkov, and Piv Bernth.
“David and Jim are each incredibly talented actors whose careers span theater, film and television. But more importantly, they both possess an inherent honesty and vulnerability in their craft which are essential in the flawed characters of Tommy and Dion,” said Phillips, according to Variety. “Their grasp of the story, and their respective characters’ journeys, is something I’m very eager to dive into with them.”
Joining the cast also are Michale Gladis, Lorenza Izzo, Christine Adams, John Doman, and Elijah Jacob.
The president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV, Joel Stillerman, told Variety, “Under Clyde’s creative leadership, Feed the Beast is a layered character piece and a highly entertaining story. To have David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess along with the rest of our wonderful cast bringing this story to life is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to get started in a few weeks.”
Lionsgate Television Group Chairman, Kevin Beggs, was also very positive about the upcoming series and said, “Feed The Beast is the kind of provocative, premium quality series that has become a Lionsgate trademark. We’re delighted to expand our relationship with the iconic Clyde Phillips, excited to work with this bold ensemble cast led by the incomparable David Schwimmer and including the incredibly talented Jim Sturgess, and thrilled to bring this fast-paced drama about food, friends and family to life with our longtime partners at AMC.” In this golden age of television, each network is competing to create high quality content that will develop and maintain viewership. Considering the high accolades the series is already receiving from those in charge, it sounds like the bar is set high for what to expect from the upcoming drama.
The series is set to begin production in New York this February and is currently scheduled to premier in May 2016.