The movie’s plot centers around the experiences of a $10,000-a-night call girl.
Variety did not name any potential candidates for the role, but according to adult industry sources, there has been speculation that starlet Sasha Grey may be tapped for the part. Grey was unavailable for comment at post time.
The film will be the second in a six-picture deal that Soderbergh has with 2929 Entertainment, owned by Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner. The contract with 2929 calls for Soderbergh to direct low budget films that will be distributed simultaneously in theatrical release, on cable TV and on DVD.
According to Variety, the first film that Soderbergh directed for 2929, titled “Bubble,” was cast with mostly non-professional actors.
The screenplay for "The Girlfriend Experience" will be written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The pair hatched the idea with Soderbergh while working on “Ocean’s Thirteen.” Koppelman and Levien have also worked together on numerous projects, including “Walking Tall” and “The Untouchables: Capone Rising,” which is currently in production.
Soderbergh is currently finishing production on a Spanish-speaking biography of Argentinean revolutionary Che Guevara. The director is also slated to helm “The Informant” starring Matt Damon for Warner Bros. this year, and apparently has plans to shoot “The Girlfriend Experience” over 14 days this fall.