David Schwimmer, Jim Sturgess Lead Cast of AMC’s Feed the Beast

NEW YORK: David Schwimmer (American Crime Story, Friends) and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, Cloud Atlas) are starring in AMC’s upcoming original series Feed the Beast, a drama about two best friends who take one last shot at their dream of opening a restaurant.

Feed the Beast is a co-production between AMC Studios and Lionsgate, based on the Danish series Bankerot. The series will be adapted by writer/showrunner Clyde Phillips (Dexter, Nurse Jackie), who also serves as executive producer. Production will begin in New York City in February 2016. The ten one-hour episodes are set to premiere in May 2016.

Additional casting for the series includes Michael Gladis (Mad Men, House of Lies), Lorenza Izzo (The Green Inferno, Sex Ed), Christine Adams (Batman Begins, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), John Doman (The Wire, The Affair) and Elijah Jacob (Spot On).

“Under Clyde’s creative leadership, Feed the Beast is a layered character piece and a highly entertaining story,” said Joel Stillerman, the president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “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.”

“Feed the Beast is the kind of provocative, premium quality series that has become a Lionsgate trademark,” said Lionsgate Television Group’s chairman Kevin Beggs. “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.”

Phillips added: “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. Their grasp of the story, and their respective characters’ journeys, is something I’m very eager to dive into with them.”