Bokeem Woodbine, Sunita Mani, and Adam Beach have joined the upcoming Apple TV+ dramedy “Government Cheese,” Variety has learned.
They will star in the series alongside previously announced lead David Oyelowo as well as Simone Missick. Variety exclusively reported the show was in the works at Apple in June 2022.
Based on the short film of the same name by Paul Hunter, “Government Cheese” follows Hampton Chambers (Oyelowo), described as “a man recently released from prison who struggles to keep his criminal past at bay and win back his family, all while processing moments of divine intervention that seem to happen with increasing frequency.”
Woodbine ‘s recent TV credits include the “Halo” series at Paramount+, “Ripley” at Netflix, and “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” at Hulu. He has also been in shows like “Fargo,” “Saving Grace,” and “Underground.” On the film side, he recently starred opposite Bill Burr and Bobby Cannavale in “Old Dads,” and has previously starred in features such as “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Ray,” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
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He is repped by Gersh and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Mani previously starred in the Apple film “Spirited” alongside Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell and also appeared in the streamer’s series “Servant.” She is perhaps best known for her role in the Netflix series “GLOW,” appearing in all three seasons. Her other recent credits include the shows “Bupkis” and “Scavengers Reign” and the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
She is repped by UTA and Mosaic.
Beach is known for his roles in films like “Windtalkers,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Smoke Signals,” “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” and “The Power of the Dog.” He has also appeared on shows like “Nancy Drew,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Arctic Air,” and “Big Love.”
He is repped by Buchwald, RED Management, and Kleinberg, Lange, Cuddy and Carlo.
Hunter and Ayesha Carr serve as writers, executive producers, and co-showrunners on “Government Cheese.” Hunter also directs. Oyelowo executive producers under his Yoruba Saxon banner. Charles D. King and Ahmadou Seck will executive produce the series for MACRO Television Studios along with Jelani Johnson and Marta Fernandez. Ali Brown will serve as co-executive producer alongside Hunter through Ventureland. Apple Studios and MACRO serve as co-studios.
