Tech crime drama for on-demand net Crackle

An original drama from the newly-established Critical Content is headed to Sony-owned on-demand platform Crackle.

Martin Freeman (Fargo, Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Adam Brody (The O.C.) will star in Star Up, which will run to ten episodes and comes from Ben Ketai.

The show, which begins filming this week in Puerto Rico, follows a brilliant but controversial tech idea that is incubated by three unconventional entrepreneurs forced to start a company with dirty money and make ties with a Haitian gang.

Edi Gathegi (The Blacklist) and Otmara Marrero (Graceland) also star, with Freeman playing an FBI investigator who specialises in financial crimes.

Brody will be a producer on the show, marking his first foray into production.

Crackle has been getting in on the originals game in an attempt to keep up with rival on-demand services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, which are now firmly established homes of high-end drama.

The platform’s first drama original, The Art of More, was recently renewed for a second season.

“Start Up carries out our promise to continue our commitment to quality drama,” said Eric Berger, general manager of Crackle and exec VP of Sony Pictures Television Digital Networks.

“We are working with a top-notch team to produce a project that explores the motivations and complexities of creating a new venture, while walking a fine line between crime and legitimacy.”

Ketai wrote the episodes and will direct and executive produce. Tom Forman and Andrew Marcus, who yesterday revealed Critical Content as the rebranded and recapitalised Relativity Television, will also executive produce, along with Ray Ricord, Gianni Nunnari and Shannon Gaulding.

Critical produces along with Hollywood Gang Productions.