Quibi's present-day update of Hollywood satire Swimming With Sharks is filling out its cast.
Thomas Dekker, Finn Jones and Donald Sutherland will star with Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger in the series at the short-form streaming platform. The series is based on George Huang's cult 1994 movie about a Hollywood assistant (Frank Whaley) who turns the tables on his abusive boss (Kevin Spacey).
In the new version, penned by writer and actress Kathleen Robertson (Little Bee; Beverly Hills, 90210), a young woman named Lou (Shipka) goes to work for studio head Joyce (Kruger). In a company filled with manipulators, schemers and intrigue, no one knows Lou is poised to outwit them all.
Dekker (Heroes, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) will play Travis, one of Joyce's assistants. Routinely insulted and humiliated by Joyce, he wields what power he has by belittling the interns who work under him. Dekker is repped by Innovative Artists and MGMT Entertainment.
Iron Fist and Game of Thrones alum Jones plays Marty, Joyce's vp production, who's also a victim of chronic verbal abuse. Marty is immediately taken by Lou and gets her a job as one of Joyce's interns. Jones, who just wrapped season two of Dickinson for Apple, is repped by CAA, Atlas Artists, Curtis Brown Group and Felker Toczek.
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sutherland will play Redmond, the very ill chairman of Fountain Pictures, a studio founded by his grandfather. Misogynistic and predatory, and stuck in a hospital bed at home as he waits to die, he's determined to hold on to power for as long as he can — which includes overriding Joyce's attempts to do things her way. Sutherland's recent work includes Ad Astra, FX's Trust and the Hunger Games franchise. He's repped by CAA and Klevan Longarzo.
Robertson, director Tucker Gates (Homeland, The Morning Show) and Chris Cowles (Blockers) are producing Swimming With Sharks, which comes from Lionsgate TV. Dana Brunetti and Liz Destro are executive producing along with Jay Cohen and Stephen Israel, who were EPs on the film.
The mobile-centric Quibi is set to launch April 6. It has some 50 series in the works, which will be presented in short bursts of under 10 minutes. It will also feature daily news and sports updates. Swimming With Sharks doesn't yet have a premiere date.
