Mumbai: Film icon Dennis Hopper has been set to star in Crash, the first original drama series from Starz Entertainment, based on the Academy Award-winning Best Picture.

The 13-episode one-hour series, co-produced with Lionsgate, has begun production in Albuquerque, with additional filming to take place in and around Los Angeles. Sanford Bookstaver will direct the premiere episode of the drama, which will debut on Starz in October. The announcement was made jointly by Starz Entertainment executive vice president programming Stephan Shelanski, and Lionsgate president of programming and production Kevin Beggs.

The cast includes film and television veteran Dennis Hopper as Ben; Clare Carey as Christine; Luis Chavez as Cesar; and Ross McCall as Kenny. Additional cast will be announced soon.

Headed by executive producer Glen Mazzara, the creative team includes executive producers Paul Haggis, Bob Yari and Bobby Moresco, and co-executive producers Don Cheadle, Tom Nunan, Mark Harris, Jorg Westerkamp and Thomas Becker, all of whom were key members of the Oscar-winning theatrical production team.

Writers joining Mazzara for the series are co-executive producers Frank Renzulli and Ted Mann; producer Stacy Rukeyser; and executive story editors Chris Collins and Randy Huggins.

Set in Los Angeles, the series will continue to focus on an ensemble cast of characters. It will explore the complexities of social tolerance in contemporary America by digging into the meaning of what it takes to reach the American dream. Characters will intertwine and crash into each other, coming face to face with the daily hurdles and obstacles that threaten to get in the way of achieving that dream.

Starz Media’s Anchor Bay Entertainment will hold exclusive US distribution rights, including home entertainment, to the Crash series, while Lionsgate will retain international distribution.