Martin Scorsese to Bring ‘Gangs of New York’ to the Small Screen
The Plug Uglies, Dead Rabbits, and Bowery Boys are coming to a streaming service near you. Gangs of New York is being made into a series.
Gangs of New York is set in 1846 in lower Manhattan’s Five Points. The immigration population is ever-growing, and lawlessness and corruption thrive. A young Irish immigrant is released from prison and returns seeking revenge against the man that killed his father. His vendetta becomes part of a wave of gang warfare, as the city’s residents fight to claim a place in their adopted homeland.
The movie’s story is loosely based on historical events like the New York City draft riots and the actions of Tammany Hall. As well as the violent gang wars. It has an amazing cast and production design. If you haven’t seen it, take a break from horror movies and put it on your watchlist for this weekend.
Gangs of New York Series – What We Know
The series will pull from the same source material as the film – Herbert Asbury’s 1927 The Gangs of New York. It will continue to focus on the rival gangs of the period and the ever-changing city. There’s a lot to explore that the movie didn’t choose to focus on. Reports are saying that the story won’t follow the events in the film, nor will it feature the characters portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz.
Martin Scorsese, who directed the movie, will direct the first two episodes and act as executive producer. Brett Leonard, who is a playwright and television writer, is attached as the lead writer. It’s being produced by Miramax, who is currently looking for a distributor.
via Harvard Theatre Collection
This isn’t the first time an expansion to the 2002 film has been shopped around. In 2013 Scorsese was attached to a project that focused on crime in other cities during the same time period. It didn’t make it off the ground. Hopefully, this one will. With Peaky Blinders wrapped up, there’s definitely room for another great historical crime drama. Especially from Scorsese.
The director had this to say when the failed series was announced, I doubt his mind has changed.
“This time and era of America’s history and heritage is rich with characters and stories that we could not fully explore in a two-hour film. A television series allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life.”
