Riz Ahmed’s Amazon Series Casts ‘Umbrella Academy’ Alum Ritu Arya, ‘I May Destroy You’s’ Weruche Opia (EXCLUSIVE)
Ritu Arya and Weruche Opia have joined Riz Ahmed’s upcoming Amazon Prime Video comedy series in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively.
It was previously announced that Ahmed was starring in the untitled series, while the cast already includes Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Aasiya Shah, and Sajid Hasan.
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Exact character details are being kept under wraps, but the official series description states the show follows “Shah Latif (Ahmed), a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime, only to find himself thrust into a full blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller all at the same time.”
Arya recently appeared in the fourth and final season of the popular Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” which she originally joined in Season 2. She has also been in shows like “Humans,” “Doctors,” and “Feel Good.” Her recent film credits include “Barbie,” “Polite Society,” and “Red Notice.”
She is repped by Artists First, Conway van Gelder Grant, CAA, Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver Thompson, and R&C PMK.
Opia is best known for her role in the Emmy-winning HBO/BBC One series “I May Destroy You,” for which she earned a BAFTA nomination. Since then, she has starred in shows like “Genius: MLK/X,” “The Jetty,” “High Desert,” and “Bad Education.” In film, she has been in features like “When Love Happens” and “Slumberland.”
She is repped by Anonymous Content, Curtis Brown, Shelter PR, and Sloane Offer.
Ahmed is the writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner of the series in addition to starring. Ben Karlin is the other co-showrunner and executive producer. Ahmed executive produces along with Allie Moore under their Left Handed production banner. Jake Fuller executive produces for Jax Media, which is producing the series along with Amazon MGM Studios. Left Handed has a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios, under which this show falls.
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