Amazon's remake of the beloved UK series Utopia is filling out its cast, adding four actors, including You're the Worst star Desmin Borges, Collider has learned. Ashleigh LaThrop, Farrah Mackenzie and Christopher Denham have also joined the ensemble.
In Utopia, a group of young adults who meet online are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come in to possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel. They discover the conspiracy theories in the comic's pages may actually be real and are forced into the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.
Sasha Lane is already set to star as on-the-run protagonist Jessica Hyde, while Rainn Wilson will play under-appreciated scientists Michael Stearns.
Borges will play Wilson Wilson, a brilliant, paranoid and eccentric conspiracy theorist who is obsessed with 'Utopia' and convinced it hides more dark secrets about the very future of our world.
LaThrop will play Becky, who uses her kindness and empathy as a way to get closer to the graphic novel she desperately needs to save her life.
Mackenzie will play Alice, an adopted foster child with a steely resolve who is thrown into the dangerous world of our Nerds.
Denham will play Arby, a shark-like menace who is emotionally stunted and socially disconnected. His cold facade begins crumbling as he learns some dangerous truths about his childhood.
Utopia hails from creator Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) who will serve as showrunner. She'll also executive produce alongside original Utopia creator Dennis Kelly, whose series became a cult hit over the course of two six-episode seasons between 2013 and 2014. Amazon has ordered a nine-episode first season of Utopia, which is a co-production between Endemol Shine North America, Kudos, and Amazon Studios. Executive producers also include Sharon Hall, Karen Wilson and Jessica Rhoades, the latter of whom worked with Flynn on HBO's limited series Sharp Objects. Sharon Levy will oversee production for Endemol Shine.
LaThrop is a trained theater actress who has appeared in both of the Fifty Shades of Grey sequels and enjoyed a recurring role on the USA comedy Sirens. She'll soon be seen in a season-long arc on the third season of The Handmaid's Tale, as well as on the CW's The 100. Before shooting Utopia, she will film the second season of Netflix's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Kominsky Method, which earned her and her co-stars a SAG Award nomination.
Borges played Edgar on FXX's You're the Worst and will soon be seen in a significant recurring role on Paul Rudd's upcoming Netflix series Living With Yourself. Borges, who also appeared in Tamara Jenkins' acclaimed film Private Life, is repped by Gersh and Suskin Management.
Mackenzie is a 13-year-old actress who has nearly a decade of experience in the industry as well as an incredible survival story of her own. She had a key role in Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky, and recently appeared in the Netflix movie You Get Me starring Bella Thorne. She recently wrapped the indie movie Please Stand By, in which she plays a young Dakota Fanning, as well as a lead role in the thriller Ascension starring Ana Mulvoy-Ten. She's repped by Abrams Artists Agency and Cohen Entertainment.
Denham is a veteran character actor who appeared in Ben Affleck's Argo, Jodie Foster's Money Monster and the Brit Marling movie Sound of My Voice. He also has a recurring role on Showtime's Billions, and has worked with major filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols and Barry Levinson. Denham, who will soon be seen chasing Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Julia Hart's Fast Color, is repped by UTA and Authentic Management.
