Starz has cast Riley Keough as the lead for its original anthology series The Girlfriend Experience, inspired by the Steven Soderbergh film of the same name.
Keough will star as Christine Reade, a law student who becomes intrigued when she’s introduced to the concept of ‘transactional relationships.’
The 13-episode series includes Soderbergh and Philip Fleischman as executive producers and will be written by Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz. For further details, follow the jump.
STARZ CASTS RILEY KEOUGH IN ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGY SERIES “THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE”
Series From Steven Soderbergh, Philip Fleishman, Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz Explores a World Where Love Has a Price
Beverly Hills, Calif. – February 26, 2015 – Starz has cast actress Riley Keough (Magic Mike, Mad Max: Fury Road) in “The Girlfriend Experience,” a 13-part anthology series produced by Transactional Pictures. The series, which is inspired by the 2009 Magnolia Pictures film of the same title and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and Philip Fleishman, explores the relationships between the exclusive courtesans and their clients, for whom they provide far more than just sex.
Keough will star as Christine Reade, a law student at the University of Chicago and an intern at a prestigious law firm, who is intrigued when a friend introduces her to the world of transactional relationships. Attracted to the rush of control and easy money, Christine has to confront her own conflicting identities. She learns to navigate and manipulate the big personalities in both worlds to get what she wants, in the process becoming a quasi-lover and confidant to men who are willing to pay richly for her time, offering a service known as a GFE (Girlfriend Experience).
In 2010, Riley Keough made her big-screen debut as Marie Currie in The Runaways opposite Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. Riley was also seen in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike opposite Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey, which has grossed nearly $160,000,000 worldwide. She will next be seen in the highly-anticipated fourth installment of director George Miller’s cult-classic Mad Max, Mad Max: Fury Road, starring alongside a distinguished cast comprised of Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, and Zoe Kravitz. Riley recently finished working with Anton Yelchin and Catherine Keener in The Greens are Gone, written and directed by Peer Pedersen.
The scripted anthology series will feature 13 half-hour episodes, which will be written and directed by independent filmmakers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz.
The original feature, directed by Soderbergh and written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009.
Soderbergh, whose distinguished career spans television, film, and stage, won a 2013 Emmy® award for Outstanding Directing for the HBO television film “Behind the Candelabra.” He earned the Academy Award® in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich. Soderbergh earlier gained an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, his feature film directorial debut. His other credits include Magic Mike, Contagion, and The Oceans Trilogy, among many others, and he is currently directing the second season of his television series The Knick for Cinemax.
Fleishman, who produced Soderbergh’s concert film about the group Yes in 1985, is a writer, producer, documentary journalist, and entrepreneur with a legal background who attended the York University Film School. Nominated for a Peabody® award for his 13-hour CBC documentary series “The Future of the Jews,” Fleishman founded and became a principal owner of Command Post and Transfer Corp. Command Post was later acquired by Technicolor.
Soderbergh is represented by Anonymous Content, Michael Sugar and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman. Fleishman is represented by Alan Abrams, at Coste, Abrams & Coat, LLP. Kerrigan is represented by WME. Seimetz is represented by WME and Chis Evans and Heather Reynolds at One Entertainment. Keogh is represented by WME, Thor Bradwell at LBI Entertainment and Steve Warren & Barry Littman at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.
“The Girlfriend Experience” is produced by Transactional Pictures, which licensed the television rights from the owner of the original feature film, Magnolia Pictures. Transactional Pictures has granted Starz all domestic multiplatform rights and Starz will serve as the worldwide distributor of all other rights to the series.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of December 31, 2014, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 57.3 million subscribers, including 23.3 million at STARZ, and 34.0 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks’ third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution’s home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.