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Beef season two ‘eyes Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal’ to play feuding couple

Season two of the dark comedy series will reportedly star two couples instead of one

Ellie Muir
Tuesday 27 February 2024 04:11 EST
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Beef trailer

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Netflix is reportedly eyeing up a new duo to play the central feuding couple in season two of its dark comedy series Beef.

Season one of the series was a hit on Netflix, with Ali Wong starring as Amy Lau and Steve Yeun as Danny Choo, the couple with a complicated and heated relationship after they met during a road rage incident.

But this time, the series two storyline will reportedly revolve around two couples.

A-listers Jake Gyllenhaal, 43, and Anne Hathaway, 41, are reportedly being considered for one of the couples, according to Deadline. The pair previously starred together as onscreen couples in the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain and 2011’s Love & Other Drugs.

Riverdale and May December star Charles Melton, 33, and Priscilla actor Cailee Spaeny, 25, are reportedly being courted to play another couple.

The Independent has approached Netflix for comment, as well as representatives for the respective actors.

While plans for the second season are still in its early stages, Deadline reports that Netflix hopes to go into production later this year.

Beef has won four Primetime Emmys, one for Outstanding Limited Series or Anthology Series, and trophies for Ali Wong and Steven Yuen, as well as three Golden Globes.

However, after the series’ release, it was hit by controversy after cast member David Choe, who plays Isaac – the criminal cousin to Steven Yeun’s Danny – made controversial comments about sexual assault in a resurfaced podcast.

‘Beef’ star David Choe
‘Beef’ star David Choe (Getty Images)

After the show’s release and immediate success, a 2014 clip from Choe’s now-defunct podcast resurfaced, which showed him talking about sexually assaulting a massage therapist.

The 46-year-old apologised for the comments at the time, claiming that the anecdote was a fabrication for the sake of the podcast.

Afterwards, Beef showrunner Lee Sung Jin and his stars Yeun and Ali Wong released a statement to Variety, calling Choe’s story “undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing”.

“The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing. We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering,” the statement read.

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in ‘Beef’
Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in ‘Beef’ (© 2023 Netflix, Inc.)

“We’re aware David has apologised in the past for making up this horrific story, and we’ve seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes.”

In his 2014 statement, Choe – who is also an artist – wrote: “If I am guilty of anything, it’s bad storytelling in the style of douche.

“Just like many of my paintings are often misinterpreted, the same goes with my [podcast]. The main objective of all of my podcasts is to challenge and provoke my friends and the co-stars on the show.”

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