David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess have been cast as the leads in AMC and Lionsgate TV’s upcoming drama series “Feed the Beast,” Variety has learned.

The series, based on the Danish drama “Bankerot,” centers around two best friends, Tommy Moran (Schwimmer), and Dion Patras (Sturgess) who take one last shot at their dream of opening a restaurant. “Feed the Beast” will be adapted by writer/showrunner Clyde Phillips (“Dexter,” “Nurse Jackie”), who also serves as executive producer, along with Henrik Ruben Genz, Malene Blenkov, and Piv Bernth.

“Under Clyde’s creative leadership, ‘Feed the Beast’ is a layered character piece and a highly entertaining story,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “To have David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess along with the rest of our wonderful cast bringing this story to life is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to get started in a few weeks.”

“‘Feed The Beast’ is the kind of provocative, premium quality series that has become a Lionsgate trademark,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs. “We’re delighted to expand our relationship with the iconic Clyde Phillips, excited to work with this bold ensemble cast led by the incomparable David Schwimmer and including the incredibly talented Jim Sturgess, and thrilled to bring this fast-paced drama about food, friends and family to life with our longtime partners at AMC.”

“David and Jim are each incredibly talented actors whose careers span theater, film and television. But more importantly, they both possess an inherent honesty and vulnerability in their craft which are essential in the flawed characters of Tommy and Dion,” said Phillips. “Their grasp of the story, and their respective characters’ journeys, is something I’m very eager to dive into with them.”

Additional casting for the series includes Michael Gladis, who will play Patrick Woichik, aka The Tooth Fairy, the soft spoken, brutally intimidating local mobster with a penchant for pulling teeth; Lorenza Izzo, who will play Pilar Herrera, a woman who meets Tommy in a grief group, and is desperately searching for true love; Christine Adams, who will star as Tommy’s late wife Rie Moran; John Doman, who will play Tommy’s father Aidan Moran, a shrewd and ruthless businessman and unapologetic racist; and Elijah Jacob, who will play Tommy’s ten year old son TJ Moran.

“Feed the Beast” is produced by AMC Studios and Lionsgate in association with Clyde Phillips Productions. The show is scheduled to premiere in May 2016 with 10 one-hour episodes. Production will begin in New York this February.