Netflix has announced the main cast of its upcoming thriller series “Clickbait.”
Zoe Kazan, Adrian Grenier, Betty Gabriel, and Phoenix Raei will all star in the eight-episode series. It is said to explore the ways in which our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media and reveals the ever-widening fractures we find between our virtual and real-life personas. Production has commenced on the series, which is shooting in Melbourne, Australia.
Kazan will play Pia Brewer, described as a young woman desperate for answers in the search for her missing brother in a case that has become a media sensation. Kazan is known for her starring role in the Oscar-nominated film “The Big Sick” as well as the feature “Ruby Sparks,” the latter of which she also wrote. She will also star in the upcoming HBO series adaptation of “The Plot Against America.” She is repped by UTA, Washington Square Films, and Jackoway Tyerman.
Gabriel will play Sophie Brewer, an Oakland woman struggling to keep her family together as they become the subject of the biggest media story in the nation. Gabriel is known for her roles in the films “Get Out” and “The Purge: Election Year.” She has also appeared on the shows “Westworld,” “Counterpart” and “Good Girls Revolt,” and will next be seen in the Apple drama “Defending Jacob.” She is repped by ICM and Untitled Entertainment.
Grenier will play Nick Brewer, who has a seemingly perfect life-loving wife, two sons, and a beautiful home. His life is derailed when he becomes a part of this bizarre crime. Grenier is best known for his starring role in the HBO comedy series “Entourage.” After the show ended in 2011, a follow-up film was made and released in 2015. He is also known for his roles in films like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Drive Me Crazy.” He is repped by Domain Talent and Framework Entertainment.
Raei will play Roshan Amir, a detective with the Oakland Police Department who finds himself at the center of a media storm as he investigates this case. Raei has previously starred in the series “The Heights” and appeared on the show “Romper Stomper.”
Tony Ayres and Christian White co-created “Clickbait.” Ayres will serve as showrunner and executive producer while White will be writer and co-producer. Brad Anderson will serve as the lead director with Emma Freeman set to direct the second block of episodes. David Heyman and Tom Winchester will executive produce for Heyman’s Heyday Television. Tom Hoffie and Joanna Werner will serve as producers. NBCUniversal International Studios will serve as the studio, with Matchbox Pictures, Tony Ayres Productions, and Heyday producing the series for Netflix. “Clickbait” has been made possible through funding provided by the Australian Federal Government’s Location Incentive program to support the Australian film industry, in addition to the Victorian Government’s Film Victoria Production Incentive Attraction Fund. “Clickbait” is filming in Melbourne with support from Film Victoria.
(Pictured: Zoe Kazan, left; Betty Gabriel, right)