According to Deadline, Martin Scorsese is once again trying to make a television version of Gangs of New York. Just when he thought he was out, right?
Apparently, this will be a new take on the subject matter, leaving behind the characters in the 2002 film in favor of fresh meat. The project was written by playwright Brett Leonard, who also has TV credits on Fear The Walking Dead and the forthcoming Shantaram, which focuses on the criminal underworlds of India, Russia, and Afghanistan through the eyes of a heroin addict/con man played by Charlie Hunnam. For Gangs of New York, the seedy behavior will be localized but, presumably, still set in the late 1800s when the size of the mustaches was only outmatched by the size of the hats.
Miramax TV developed the project and will shop it around soon. Obviously, Scorsese is a big draw, so it should have little trouble finding a home. It’s also exactly the kind of property that’s dense enough to warrant the series treatment, especially considering that Scorsese’s original cut of the film version was over three hours long. It’s a legitimate saga, a series feels like the right format to tell it in, and Scorsese still feels like the right man to tell it. Maybe think of it as his prequel to Boardwalk Empire.
(via Deadline)