Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience As A TV Series

Steven Soderbergh may already be retired but he is still busy coming up with new producing and directorial projects, and this includes a TV series based on his film "The Girlfriend Experience."

According to JoBlo, "The Girlfriend Experience" was originally released back in 2009. It barely broke even on its $1.3 million budget even though it represented porn star Sasha Grey. Now, Starz is taking on the movie to television in the form of a 13 episode anthology series. The TV series will still follow a similar plot to the feature film.

According to Deadline, "The Girlfriend Experience" explores the relationships of the most exclusive courtesans who provide their clients with far more than just sex. These courtesans provide the "girlfriend experience." They share intimacies more common to romantic partners or husbands and wives, becoming quasi-lovers and confidants who are richly paid for their time.

According to executive producer Philip Fleishman, many of these women who provide the "girlfriend experience" are extremely accomplished, ranging from musicians in major orchestras to PhD candidates in the sciences. They often feel empowered by the control and economic freedom their work as GFE's affords them.

While there is still no word whether Soderbergh will direct the TV series, he will however serve as the executive producer with Philip Fleishman. Amy Seimetz will write the series for "The Girlfriend Experience" with filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan.

Deadline quoted Soderbergh on his opinion on a TV series version of his 2009 movie.

"We're in an exciting period of auteur-driven television right now," he said. "When Philip floated the idea of a Girlfriend Experience-inspired television show, I thought: 'let's make it a different woman in a different city, let's pair two independent writer-directors, one male and one female, and let them do the whole thing."

Soderbergh said he had known Lodge for 20 years and is also a fan of Amy Seimetz when he saw her first feature "Sun Don't Shine" last summer.

"The Girlfriend Experience" will reunite Soderbergh with Starz CEO Chris Albrecht after 11 years since the two worked on the improved Washington DC comedy "K Street."

Aside from the "The Girlfriend Experience," Steven Soderbergh is also known for his movies "Oceans 11," "Traffic," "Contagion," "Side Effects" and the upcoming Cinemax series "The Knick." He also won an Emmy last year for directing the HBO movie "Behind the Candelabra."