‘State of the Union’: Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd to Lead Nick Hornby Short Form Comedy

SundanceTV and Sundance Now have picked up ten episodes of “State of the Union,” a comedy series starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd, from “High Fidelity” team Stephen Frears and Nick Hornby. Pike and O’Dowd play a married couple in therapy; Each ten-minute episode takes place at their local pub during the moments before their next counseling session, filling in the gaps of what drew them together and what is pulling them apart.

“‘State of the Union’ is an unusual project, so it’s al the more gratifying that we have managed to attract talent of this magnitude,” Hornby said in a statement. The trio of heavy hitters have all worked with Hornby in various iterations; Frears directed “High Fidelity,” Pike had a comic turn in “An Education,” and O’Dowd leads the forthcoming “Juliet, Naked.” “I think they will make a tremendous team,” said Hornby.

“State of the Union” is being produced by See-Saw Films’s TV Division, which produced both seasons of Jane Campion’s critically-lauded “Top of the Lake.” Hornby and Frears are both attached as executive producers. Frears most recently directed all three episodes of the BBC Television series “A Very English Scandal,” starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. Hornby’s latest book-to-film adaptation, “Juliet, Naked,” will be released by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions in August.