Starz today announced an order for The Girlfriend Experience, a 13-part anthology series inspired by the 2009 film of the same title. Steven Soderbergh and Phillip Fleishman will serve as executive producers along with independent filmmakers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz, who will also write and direct on the series.
The Girlfriend Experience explores the relationships of the most exclusive courtesans who provide their clients with far more than just sex. These purveyors - or GFEs (Girlfriend Experience) - share intimacies more common to romantic partners or husbands and wives, becoming quasi-lovers and confidants who are richly paid for their time.
Chris Albrecht, CEO of Starz said, "We are all such fans of the movie that the idea of exploring this world through many different characters, voices and points of view was especially intriguing. Steven and Philip's approach to the format is unique and not something seen on the entertainment landscape today. Working with Steven is always a thrill, and we are excited to break the mold with this project yet again."
"We're in an exciting period of auteur-driven television right now," said Soderbergh. "When Philip floated the idea of a Girlfriend Experience-inspired television show, I thought: 'let's make it a different woman in a different city, let's pair two independent writer/directors, one male and one female, and let them do the whole thing.' I've known Lodge for 20 years and I became a fan of Amy's when I saw her first feature last summer. We went to Chris Albrecht because he and I have been trying to find something to do together since we did K Street 11 years ago. He responded without hesitation to both the idea of the show and the approach."
"We're excited to work with Steven and Philip to develop this anthology series that takes viewers into a world where intimacy has a price. We were captivated by Steven's exploration of a story where emotional consequences arise, surprising and complicating the lives of both the clients and the professional lovers," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of Starz. "This series gives Starz an opportunity to work with some of the most talented independent filmmakers of today, and craft a cinematic exploration into the hearts of relationships - in line with the original film."
"Many of these women are extremely accomplished," said Fleishman. "They range from musicians in major orchestras to PhD candidates in the sciences and often feel empowered by the control and economic freedom their work as GFE's affords them. The question is whether they define a new genus of contemporary relationship, or have relationships always been transactionally based in one form or another?"
