Starz Fills Out Cast of Katherine Langford Drama ‘The Venery of Samantha Bird’

Starz is filling out the cast of its drama series The Venery of Samantha Bird, starring Katherine Langford.

Seven actors — Finn Jones, Francesca Reale, Embeth Davidtz, Brenda Strong, Adam Faison, Shalini Bathina and Tyrone Marshall Brown — have joined 13 Reasons Why star Langford in the psychological thriller created by Anna Moriarty. Starz gave the project an eight-episode order in October.

Additionally, Larysa Kondracki (Better Call Saul, Power Book IV) has signed on to direct four episodes and will be an executive producer. Nicole Jefferson Asher (P-Valley) will be a co-exec producer.

The Venery of Samantha Bird follows the title character (Langford) as she visits family in New England. There she reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and falls headlong into a seemingly perfect storybook romance. But underneath their fever dream lurks a more unsettling interpretation of the affair. 

Jones (Iron Fist) will play Jake Minot, the aforementioned childhood sweetheart. Fearless and charismatic, he falls back in with Samantha as if no time has passed.

Reale (Stranger Things) plays Ellie Bird, Samantha’s younger sister. While the two are close and can talk about anything, Ellie quietly keeps a watchful and protective eye on Samantha. Strong (13 Reasons Why, Desperate Housewives) will play Nan, Sam and Ellie’s mother.

Davidtz (The Morning Show) plays Carol Minot, Jake’s mother and a long-time family friend of the Birds. Faison (Hellraiser, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay) will play Nigel, a podcaster and close friend of Ellie’s. Bathina (Little Voice) plays Priyanka Yalen, a therapist who take Jake as a client — to the concern of her husband, Gideon (Brown, Love Is).

Salvatore Stabile (Waco) is the showrunner and executive produces with creator Moriarty, Kondracki and Jessica Rhoades of Pacesetter Productions. Asher, Rachel Polan and Lisa Vinnecour are co-EPs, and Jessica Yu is consulting producer.

Jones is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown Group, Atlas Artists, The Initiative Group and Felker Toczek; Faison, by Hyperion, Aaron Brown at Avalon Management and Goodman Genow; and Bathina, by ESI Network and APA.