Roku to Stream New Series Swimming With Sharks

<p><strong>SAN JOSE &&num;8212&semi;<&sol;strong> Roku is teaming up with Lionsgate to stream <em>Swimming with Sharks<&sol;em>&comma; a scripted drama series about the dark side of the Hollywood studio system&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The new Roku Original stars actresses Kiernan Shipka &lpar;<strong>photo above<&sol;strong>&rpar; and Diane Kruger and will make its debut on The Roku Channel this April&period; The new series is about a Hollywood assistant who turns the tables on an abusive boss&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Roku Channel is free for users with Roku streaming sticks or the Roku platform built into their TVs&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Historically&comma; Hollywood has always represented reinvention&comma; rebirth&period; Starting over&period; There has never been a better time to embrace that” said <strong>showrunner and creator Kathleen Robertson&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;<&sol;strong>My goal was to subvert this story and come at if from a place of both wonder and corruption&comma; through the eyes of two complex female perspectives&period; Their performances are quite extraordinary&period; Nobody will ever see Kiernan Shipka as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Don Drapers daughter” ever again&period; We are beyond thrilled for this to premiere on The Roku Channel&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When Lou Simms &lpar;Kiernan Shipka&rpar; starts her internship at Fountain Pictures she seems like a naïve Hollywood newcomer&comma; awestruck by the studio’s notorious CEO&comma; Joyce Holt &lpar;Diane Kruger&rpar;&period; In truth&comma; Lou has done extensive research on Joyce and landing this internship was no happy accident&period; As Lou’s obsession grows&comma; she will do anything to get close to her idol&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Hollywood can be as cutthroat as it is glamorous&comma;” said <strong>Colin Davis&comma; Roku’s Head of Original Scripted Programming<&sol;strong>&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;<em>Swimming with Sharks<&sol;em> does not hold back in showcasing the complex&comma; ego driven&comma; and ambition fueled pursuits in one’s attempts to &OpenCurlyQuote;make it’ in a town riddled with more broken dreams than success stories&period; Kathleen and the talented teams behind and in front of the camera have delivered&excl;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Roku Original series will feature six 30-minute episodes and will air exclusively for free on The Roku Channel in the U&period;S&period;&comma; Canada and the U&period;K&period; The drama stars Kiernan Shipka and Diane Kruger&period; Donald Sutherland&comma; Thomas Dekker&comma; Finn Jones&comma; Erica Alexander&comma; Ross Butler and Gerardo Celasco also star alongside Shipka and Kruger&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We’re excited to bring <em>Swimming with Sharks<&sol;em> to television audiences&comma;” said <strong>Lionsgate Television Group Senior Vice President Jocelyn Sabo<&sol;strong>&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It has the perfect ingredients for a platform defining premium series – a gripping story&comma; an incredible cast and the ability to connect with viewers&period; We are delighted to work with Roku once again on another amazing Roku Original&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>Swimming with Sharks<&sol;em> is written and showrun by Kathleen Robertson and directed by Tucker Gates&period; Chris Cowles&comma; Liz Destro&comma; Stephen Israel&comma; Jay Cohen and Dana Brunetti served as executive producers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;