If you’re not watching "The Knick" right now, you’d better fix that situation immediately. Steven Soderbergh‘s medical drama (that is so much more than a medical drama) is one of the best things going right now on television. And it looks like the filmmaker is really embracing small-screen story telling. Earlier this summer it was revealed that the director’s low-budget 2009 film "The Girlfriend Experience" had been turned into a series for Starz, with the network ordering up thirteen episodes with Lodge Kerrigan ("Keane," "Clean, Shaven") and Amy Seimetz ("Sun Don’t Shine") to write and direct. And now, the show has found its lead.
The Playlist has learned that Riley Keough will star in the upcoming show, produced by Soderbergh and Philip Fleishman. The rising actress appeared in a small role in Soderbergh’s "Magic Mike" and clearly made an impression, and next summer, she’ll appear in the blockbuster "Mad Max: Fury Road." Kerrigan and Seimetz wrote and will direct all the episodes of "The Girlfriend Experience," splitting the season between them, in what’s a pretty interesting approach. And the connections run deeper still, with Soderbergh producing Kerrigan’s "Keane" and "Rebecca H. (Return To The Dogs)," and Kerrigan directing Seimetz in an episode of "The Killing."
Plot details are yet to be revealed, but the show will be inspired by Soderbergh’s movie that follows a high priced escort whose services go beyond the carnal, providing her clients with "the girlfriend experience," stoking relationships that extend beyond the bedroom.
No word yet on when production might begin but it looks like things are moving steadily along and there’s likely more news to come soon.