LOS ANGELES, April 9 — Hulu has called on two American television stars for its next mini-series, Looking for Alaska. Timothy Simons (Veep) and Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) have joined the cast of the production, which has been adapted from the novel of the same name by John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), according to the American press. They will join Charlie Plummer and Kristine Froseth already announced in the lead roles.

With HBO's political-comedy series Veep soon coming to an end, one of the actors from the series, who plays the irritating Jonah Ryan, has landed a role in Hulu's next mini-series called Looking for Alaska. Timothy Simons will be joined by another actor well known to fans of TV series — Ron Cephas Jones, who played William, Randall's biological father in the drama series This Is Us.

A new John Green adaptation

Developed by Paramount TV and co-produced by Fake Empire, the mini-series Looking for Alaska is an adaptation of John Green's first novel, published in 2005. The story follows Miles “Pudge” Halter, a 16-year-old boy who decides to leave his home state of Florida in pursuit of new experiences at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama.

Once there, he befriends a group of friends including an emotionally unstable girl, Alaska, with whom he feels an instant connection. He goes on to spend unforgettable moments in the company of his new friends, however, one day, the students learn of the sudden death of their friend, Alaska. Devastated, Miles and his friends try to make sense of this drama.

Timothy Simons (Veep) will play the dean of the boarding school. Nicknamed “The Eagle” and known for his strict and humourless manner, Mr Starnes likes to lead the school with an iron fist while Miles and his friends like to set regular traps for him.

Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us) will play Dr Hyde, the theology professor. Described as extremely old and with only one lung, Hyde nonetheless remains a captivating lecturer. The mini-series will consist of eight episodes with Kristine Froseth and Charlie Plummer playing the leading roles of Alaska and Miles.

Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl) will write the first episode and act as showrunner while Sarah Adina Smith ("Hanna) will manage the pilot episode. The author of the novel, John Green, has already had two of his bestsellers adapted for cinema, The Fault in Our Stars, in 2014 with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, and Paper Towns with Cara Delevingne (2015).

Timothy Simons can currently be seen in the seventh and final season of Veep, which launched March 31 on HBO. Ron Cephas Jones, who won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor (drama television series) in 2017 for his role as William in the series This Is Us, will be seen in Truth Be Told, a new series expected soon available via Apple's streaming platform. — AFP-Relaxnews