The Amazon adaptation of the British thriller series Utopia is moving ahead with American Honey‘s Sasha Lane set to lead the series, Deadline reports.
RELATED: Gillian Flynn’s Utopia Greenlit by Amazon Studios
Utopia, based on the British series of the same name written by Dennis Kelly, focuses on a group of young adults who meet online and are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come into possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel. They discover the conspiracy theories in the comic’s pages may actually be real and forced into the dangerous, unique, and ironic position of saving the world.
Lane is set to star as Jessica Hyde, a woman who has been on the run from the evil organization known as The Network and whose father created the manuscripts for the ‘Utopia’ graphic novels.
“As I’ve been writing Utopia and trying to imagine the actor who could possibly embody Jessica Hyde, Sasha Lane has constantly kicked her way into my mind,” said creator, executive producer and showrunner Flynn. “She has the shape-shifting ability to feel at once raw, unpredictable and a little unnerving while also making you want to wrap your arms around her. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her play this utterly unique character.”
Nick Hall, Head of Alternative Series for Amazon Studios, said: “We are huge fans of Gillian Flynn’s electrifying work. She crafts stories that hold her audience in a constant state of suspense and subverts the expectations behind her characters. She will deliver Prime Video members a series they won’t forget, and Utopia’s relevance is sure to connect with viewers around the globe.”
Diederick Santer, CEO of Kudos, feels that “Dennis Kelly and the team at Kudos created a unique, dark, and gripping British thriller” and they are “incredibly excited that it has been so brilliantly reimagined by Gillian Flynn for a new global audience.”
RELATED: Darkness Calls with Two New Hellboy Posters
Lane, who made her debut in 2016 with the indie road drama American Honey and received acclaim, has made a name for herself in the indie film world with supporting roles in the acclaimed dramedies After Everything, Hearts Beat Loud and the drama The Miseducation of Cameron Post and is set to star in the upcoming Hellboy reboot, which is set to hit theaters on April 12.
Flynn is the creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Utopia. Jessica Rhoades (who Flynn collaborated with on Sharp Objects), Sharon Hall, Karen Wilson, Dennis Kelly, and Diederick Santer will also serve as executive producers. Sharon Levy, President of Unscripted & Scripted Television for Endemol Shine North America, will oversee production for Endemol Shine.
The series is a co-production between Endemol Shine North America and Kudos, an Endemol Shine Group UK production studio, and Amazon Studios. Utopia will be available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
