‘Irma Vep’: Byron Bowers & Tom Sturridge Join HBO’s TV Adaptation Of Olivier Assayas’ Feature Film

Byron Bowers (Concrete Cowboy) and Tom Sturridge (Sweetbitter), in a recasting, have joined Alicia Vikander in HBO‘s Irma Vep, a limited series based on Olivier Assayas’ 1996 feature film.

The series, loosely based on the film, will be written and directed by Assayas and produced by the team behind HBO’s Euphoria: A24, Sam Levinson and Kevin Turen.

Feature film Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung as herself and Jean-Pierre Leaud as a middle-aged French film director. It screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

The series, which is set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, follows Vikander’s Mira, an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup who comes to France to star as Irma Vep in a remake of the French silent film classic, Les Vampires. Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge. Irma Vep reveals the uncertain ground that lies at the border of fiction and reality, artifice and authenticity, art and life.

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Bowers will play Herman, a Hollywood filmmaker who’s in Paris to promote his latest film. He’ll take director René Vidal’s place for the time being in the Vampires project.

Sturridge will portray Mira’s ex-boyfriend Eamonn, who’s also in Paris for a movie. They haven’t seen each other since they broke up. Sturridge replaces Jerrod Carmichael, who was originally cast in the role but had to depart the project ahead of filming due to scheduling conflicts.

In addition to Vikander, they join previously announced Adria Arjona, Carrie Brownstein, Fala Chen and Devon Ross.

The limited series is exec produced by Assayas, Vikander, Sylvie Barthet, Levinson, Ashley Levinson, Turen through Little Lamb, Stuart Manashil, Ravi Nandan and Hallie Sekoff. Irma Vep is a Co-Production between HBO and A24.

Bowers was most recently seen starring opposite Idris Elba and Method Man in the Netflix feature, Concrete Cowboy. He also can be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s thriller Kimi. He previously appeared as a recurring character on Lena Waithe’s hit Showtime series, The Chi. Bowers is repped by WME, Paul Young’s Make Good Content and Cohen & Gardner.

Sturridge most recently starred as Jake on Sweetbitter, which aired for two seasons on Starz. He’ll next be seen with Gwendoline Christie in Netflix’s upcoming The Sandman series based on Neil Gaiman’s popular comic book series. Sturridge is repped by WME.