Showtime Orders Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis Drama ‘Billions’

Showtime is betting big with its new drama Billions.

The premium cable network has ordered 12 one-hour episodes of the series starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis. Written and executive produced by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Ocean’s Thirteen, Rounders) and Andrew Ross Sorkin (Too Big To Fail), Billions dives into the high-powered world of New York finance by pitting politically savvy U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) against brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Lewis).

“The dynamic star pairing of Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis is matched by an equally exciting team in the writing of this show,” said David Nevins, President of Showtime Networks Inc. “Andrew Ross Sorkin, one of the preeminent financial journalists of our time, has joined forces with Brian Koppelman and David Levien, two of Hollywood’s most accomplished screenwriters, to tackle an incredibly timely and buzzy subject. With this caliber of writing and acting, I think the show’s authenticity and insider look will have great appeal to a discerning audience.”

Billions also stars Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman, Toby Leonard Moore, David Costabile and Condola Rashad. It begins production in New York later this year and is slated to premiere in 2016.