Roku and Lionsgate said that Swimming With Sharks, a series produced for the short-form streaming service Quibi, will be streaming on The Roku Channel in April.
The series, starring Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger, is being re-edited into six 30-minute episodes.
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Roku acquired Quibi’s big-name programming, produced for quick mobile viewing, and has been running the shows as Roku originals. Up until now, those Quibi series have been running as short eight- to 10-minute episodes.
The series is based on the 1994 cult film Swimming With Sharks, in which an assistant at a Hollywood studio turns the tables on an abusive boss.
“Hollywood can be as cutthroat as it is glamorous,” said Colin Davis, Roku’s head of original scripted programming. “Swimming With Sharks does not hold back in showcasing the complex, ego-driven and ambition-fueled pursuits in one’s attempts to ‘make it’ in a town riddled with more broken dreams than success stories. Kathleen and the talented teams behind and in front of the camera have delivered!”
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“We’re excited to bring Swimming with Sharks to television audiences,” added Lionsgate Television Group senior VP Jocelyn Sabo. “It has the perfect ingredients for a platform defining premium series — a gripping story, an incredible cast and the ability to connect with viewers. We are delighted to work with Roku once again on another amazing Roku Original.”
Other members of the series ensemble cast include Donald Sutherland, Thomas Dekker, Finn Jones, Erica Alexander, Ross Butler and Gerardo Celasco.
“Historically, Hollywood has always represented reinvention, rebirth. Starting over. There has never been a better time to embrace that,” said series creator Kathleen Robertson. “My goal was to subvert this story and come at it from a place of both wonder and corruption, through the eyes of two complex female perspectives. Their performances are quite extraordinary. Nobody will ever see Kiernan Shipka as ‘Don Draper’s daughter’ ever again.”
Swimming with Sharks is written and run by Robertson and directed by Tucker Gates. Chris Cowles and Liz Destro, Stephen Israel, Jay Cohen and Dana Brunetti served as executive producers.
It is not clear how many series remain in the library Roku acquired from Quibi.
Roku has been gearing up to produce its own original series. It acquired the company that produces This Old House. Last year, it let leak that it aimed to produce more than 50 original shows over the next two years. ■
