According to Deadline, Sean Penn and Matthew Fox have been cast in the upcoming six-episode comedy series C*A*U*G*H*T. In Australia, viewers may watch C*A*U*G*H*T on Stan. The show will centre on four Australian troops who are given a covert assignment in a war-torn country. They are taken prisoner by rebels who initially believe them to be Americans. Soon after, a video featuring the four as hostages becomes viral, catapulting them to fame. Penn and Fox’s roles have not been revealed. Penn’s recent output consists of (but is not limited to) Licorice Pizza (2021), Flag Day (2021), and (in 2019) The Professor and the Madman (2019).
Penn will serve as an executive producer for the show as well. Fox’s past roles include Jack Shephard on Lost and Charlie Salinger in Party of Five. Fox returned to acting after a six-year absence in the Peacock series Last Light, for which he also served as an executive producer. Fox announced his acting comeback for Last Light earlier this month. Fox explained that he quit in 2014 because he had completed everything on his “mental bucket list.” Since then, he has focused on other, more introspective artistic projects.
The series also stars Bella Heathcote, Bryan Brown, Erik Thomson, Ben O’Toole, Lincoln Younes, Alexander England, Mel Jarnson, Fayssal Bazzi, Dorian Nkono, and Rebecca Breeds. “Recently, in the last couple of years, I was like, ‘I wonder what it would feel like to act again, & whether I would enjoy that,'” Breeds said. Kick Gurry not only developed C*A*U*G*H*T, but he also stars in, produces, and directs episodes. Creating a work “worthy” of Gurry’s “insanely gifted pals” was the series’ “greatest difficulty,” he added. In his own words, “I truly cannot wait to share my work with the whole world and look forward to the internet informing me how poorly I missed the target.”
Co-producers for the show include Brendan Donoghue and Deep Water Films’ John and Michael Schwarz. Calilah Scobie and Amanda Duthie, both of Stan, will also serve in an executive capacity on the show. Fremantle is not only handling the foreign distribution rights but will also be producing the show. This show will air on ITVX in the United Kingdom and be available for streaming. “Stan continues to set a high standard for premium originals and with the mirrored ambition of the soon-to-be ITVX, we realised this could be a fantastic match,” said Jamie Lynn, EVP of International Co-Productions at Fremantle. After hearing “Kick Gurry’s infectious excitement and lovely writing,” we knew this was something truly unique and groundbreaking.
The launch of C*A*U*G*H*T on Stan is scheduled for the year 2023.