Starz Entertainment and Lionsgate Thursday confirmed that film icon Dennis Hopper will star in Crash, a new dramatic series based on the 2005 Academy Award-winning “Best Picture” of the same name that will debut in October on the pay-TV network.
The 13-episode, one-hour series, co-produced by Lionsgate, will be executive produced by The Shield’s Glen Mazzara and will include executive producers Paul Haggis, who directed and co-wrote the original film, Bob Yari and Bobby Moresco. Co-executive producers include Don Cheadle, who co-starred in the original film, Tom Nunan, Mark Harris, Jorg Westerkamp and Thomas Becker, all of whom were key members of the Oscar-winning production team.
Writers joining Mazzara for the series are co-executive producer Frank Renzulli (The Sopranos) and Ted Mann (Deadwood, Miami Vice); producer Stacy Rukeyser (One Hill Tree, Without A Trace); and executive story editors Chris Collins (The Wire) and Randy Huggins (The Shield). John B. Moranville (Drive) is the line producer.
Production on the series is already underway in Albuquerque, N.M., with additional filming scheduled to take place in and around Los Angeles. Sanford Bookstaver (Jericho, Bones, The O.C.) will direct the series premiere.
Set in Los Angeles, the series will continue to focus on an ensemble cast of characters. It will explore the complexities of social tolerance in contemporary America by digging into the meaning of what it takes to reach the American dream. “Characters will intertwine and crash into each other, coming face to face with the daily hurdles and obstacles that threaten to get in the way of achieving that dream,” network officials said in a statement.
Starz Media's Anchor Bay Entertainment will hold exclusive U.S. distribution rights, including home entertainment, to the Crash series, while Lionsgate will retain international distribution.
