The AMC cable network said Monday that it has given the go-ahead for production of a new star-studded game show, “Celebrity Charades,” the brainchild of Hollywood couple Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe.
Celebrities slated to participate on the show so far include Bebe Neuwirth, Hank Azaria, Ana Gasteyer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez, Peter Bogdanovich and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.
In each episode, two teams of 10 celebrities will compete against each other in a game of movie-themed charades, with each star playing to raise money for his or her chosen charity.
Each installment also features the celebrities having dinner and mingling between rounds to allow viewers to get to know them on a more personal level. Six half-hour episodes are set to air on five consecutive nights beginning June 20.
Lowe is executive producing the series with Swank (through their Accomplice Films venture) and with actor-friend Bob Balaban. He and Lowe will take turns hosting the show.
“Hilary and Bob and I have played (charades) on our own with friends, and we always end up having a bonding experience and learning something about the people who play,” Lowe said. “We were talking about it at dinner one night and thought it would make for so much of the comedy and conflict that Hollywood writers are dying to capture.”
“Charades” is shooting in New York, but Swank, a recent Oscar winner for her boxing role in “Million Dollar Baby,” has been working on other projects and has been unable to make any taping so far, Lowe said. He added, however, that she has been very active in recruiting her celebrity friends.