Dennis Hopper to star in TV drama 'Crash'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 5 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper is to headline "Crash," Starz Entertainment and Lionsgate's new original TV series based on the 2004 film of the same name.

Hopper is best known for his roles in the film classics "Easy Rider" and "Apocalypse Now."

Also starring in "Crash" -- an hourlong drama series inspired by the Oscar-winning film -- are Clare Carey, Luis Chavez, Ross McCall, Jocko Sims, Brian Tee and Arlene Tur.

The 13-episode series, co-produced with Lionsgate, has begun production in Albuquerque, with additional filming to take place in and around Los Angeles.

It is scheduled to premier on Starz in October.

Hopper is to play a "veteran, maverick music producer looking for his last big score," Starz Entertainment said.

Set in Los Angeles, the series will, like the film, focus on an ensemble cast of characters and explore the complexities of social tolerance in the contemporary United States "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 Entertainment said.