PARAMOUNT+ ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR U.K. ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES "SEXY BEAST"

Series Stars James McArdle, Emun Elliott, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Moyer, and Guest Stars Sarah Greene

Michael Caleo Serves as Writer and Showrunner with Daniel O'Hara to Direct the Opening Episodes

Series Produced by Chapter One Pictures, Anonymous Content and VIS, the International Studio Division of Paramount

LONDON - August 8, 2022 - Paramount+ today announced casting for its upcoming original U.K. drama series, SEXY BEAST, which commenced production, filming on location in Liverpool.

James McArdle ("Mare of Easttown," "Angels in America") leads the cast as Gal Dove and Emun Elliott ("The Rig," "The Gold") stars as Don Logan - the duo are best friends and small-town thieves, living the good life in '90s East London. Sarah Greene ("Dublin Murders," "Normal People") is Deedee, a captivating adult film star, who has the potential to turn Gal's whole life upside down. Stephen Moyer ("Shots Fired," "True Blood") is Teddy Bass, a rising name in the gangster world, who Gal and Don are offered the chance to work with on a high-profile heist. Tamsin Greig ("Episodes," "Friday Night Dinner") is Don's stern and formidable older sister Cecilia. The prequel series will explore Gal and Don's complicated relationship as Gal finds himself descending into the seductive madness of the London criminal world during the vibrant and volatile 1990s, while falling in love with DeeDee.

Produced by Chapter One Pictures, Anonymous Content and VIS, the international studio division of Paramount Global. The series is written by showrunner and executive producer Michael Caleo ("The Family," "The Sopranos") and the opening episodes are directed by Daniel O'Hara ("Brassic"), who also serves as executive producer. Sophie Gardiner ("Best Interests") and Rupert Ryle-Hodges ("The Hollow Crown") are executive producers for Chapter One Pictures alongside Nicole Clemens. David Scinto and Louis Mellis, the writers of the original film, also serve as executive producers and James Levison ("Endeavour") joins as producer.

"I feel so fortunate to be able to explore these beautifully crafted characters a decade before we met them in the original story," said showrunner Michael Caleo. This series has been a great passion of mine for many years and I cannot wait to see it come to life with this amazing cast."

Joining the ensemble cast for SEXY BEAST are Eliza Bennett ("Dynasty"), Clea Martin ("Hanna"), Nicholas Nunn ("The Victim"), John Dagleish ("The Third Day"), Robbie Gee ("Motherland"), Paul Kaye ("The Stranger"), Lex Shrapnel ("Infiniti"), Cally Lawrence ("Who Is Alice"), David Kennedy ("Hollyoaks"), Nitin Ganatra ("EastEnders") and Alice Bailey Johnson ("This Is Going to Hurt").

The series, part of Paramount+'s strategy to commission 150 international originals by 2025, will debut in 2023 in the U.K., U.S. and other international territories where the streaming service is available. Paramount+ continues to expand its global footprint and is set to launch in France, GSA and Italy later in 2022. SEXY BEAST is one of the first original dramas commissioned in the U.K. that will debut across Paramount+ internationally, with additional series including THE FLATSHARE, A GENTLEMEN IN MOSCOW, THE BLUE and THE BURNING GIRLS.

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About Paramount+

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service from ViacomCBS, combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world's biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream ViacomCBS Streaming's other live channels: CBS News Streaming Network for 24/7 new and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis. For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

About Chapter One Pictures

Chapter One Pictures, formed in 2018, is committed to making quality, entertaining and original content for television and film. Our passion is for authored work across all genres, broadcasters and platforms. Already in production are "Best Interests" by Jack Thorne (BBC/Endeavor) and "Boy Swallows Universe" by John Collee, based on the book by Trent Dalton, and in co-production with Brouhaha and Anonymous Content (Netflix). Building on the experience of Sophie Gardiner (managing director), and backed by the exceptional combination of Anonymous Content, Casarotto Ramsay and United Agents, Chapter One promises to have a real impact both internationally and within the U.K.