Schwimmer Courtesy of AMC
Jim Sturgess will co-star in the straight-to-series drama based on the Danish format.
Friends alum David Schwimmer is sticking with the small screen.
The actor, who next appears as Robert Kardashian in FX anthology The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, has been tapped to star in AMC's Feed the Beast. Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) will co-star.
The drama, picked up straight to series in June, revolves around Tommy (Schwimmer) and Dion (Sturgess), friends who are like brothers. Dion can’t stay out of trouble. Tommy can’t move past it. For two friends on the brink of losing everything, a dusty pipe dream of opening up an upscale restaurant in their hometown of the Bronx is all they have left to turn their lives around. They push one another to follow through on their dreams, welcome love into their lives, and overcome their demons.
They also betray, backstab, manipulate and coerce each other into the most dangerous situations imaginable. For Tommy, a successful haute Hellenic restaurant is his means to give his son a life he never had. For Dion, this venture is a perfect opportunity to secretly repay his debt to the mob. Together, they take on the insanity of the New York restaurant world, and navigate its underbelly of petty criminals, corrupt officials and violent mobsters.
Based on the Danish series created by Kim Fupz Aakeson and produced by DR Broadcasting, the series hails from Lionsgate TV, where Dexter and Nurse Jackie alum Phillips is under an overall deal, and AMC Studios. Phillips will exec produce alongside original Bankerot producers Henrik Ruben Genz and Malene Blenkov as well as Piv Bernth (The Killing). The series marks the latest Danish adaptation at AMC, following its remake of Forbrydelsen, which became The Killing and ran for three seasons on the cabler before closing out at Netflix.
For Schwimmer, the role marks his latest TV foray following American Crime Story and 2014 ABC comedy pilot Irreversible, which did not move forward.
"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,” showrunner Phillips said. “Their grasp of the story, and their respective characters’ journeys, is something I’m very eager to dive into with them.”
Schwimmer is repped by Gersh; Sturgess is with CAA. A premiere date has not yet been determined. Production begins Feb. 1.
AMC
