Hulu is moving forward with its take on Less Than Zero.
The streamer has handed out a pilot order to the reboot and cast The Walking Dead and Paper Towns actor Austin Abrams to step into the role originally played by Andrew McCarthy in the 1987 feature film.
Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ 1985 novel and subsequent feature film, the drama follows a college freshman who returns home for Christmas to spend time with his ex-girlfriend and his friend who struggles with addiction. The Hulu take will explore the culture of wealthy, decadent youth in Los Angeles.
Abrams will take on the role of Clay, who grew up in the excess and lavish Los Angeles of the 1980s and, unlike all of his friends who stayed behind for college, is now in his freshman year at college on the East Coast. Clay returns home for winter break and reunites with Blair, his high school girlfriend with whom he has a complicated relationship, as he also fears about the life of his friend Julian. (Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. originally played Blair and Julian, respectively.) Craig Wright (Lost, Tyrant, Greenleaf) will pen the script and executive produce the Fox 21 drama alongside Ellis. Ellis’ book, named after the Elvis Costello song, explored themes of nihilism, with the author credited with helping to create a new culture of celebrity with figures like Paris Hilton and the Kardashians.
Abrams’ credits include a memorable multiple-episode run on AMC’s The Walking Dead and episodes of Shameless, The Americans and SMILF. On the big screen, he has had roles in John Green’s Paper Towns, The Kings of Summer and Gangster Squad. He’s repped by WME, Industry Entertainment and Myman Greenspan.
