Anna Daniels
Jon Bernthal to lead American Gigolo series reboot
It’s been three years since Neil LaBute (Van Helsing) originally signed on to pen a series adaptation of the Richard Gere neo-noir drama American Gigolo, and the project has finally made headway as The Punisher‘s Jon Bernthal has signed on to star in the pilot for Showtime, albeit a different incarnation, according to Deadline.
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The project, initially announced in 2014 from producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Bad Boys for Life), is being penned by Ray Donovan‘s David Hollander, who will also act as showrunner should the network pick it up for a full series. Bruckheimer is partnering with Paramount TV Studios and Showtime for the project, with the latter having been attached since 2016 when LaBute was originally attached.
The 1980 film, written and directed by Taxi Driver and First Reformed‘s Paul Schrader, saw Gere in a star-making turn as Julian Kaye, a male escort in Los Angeles who becomes romantically involved with a prominent politician’s wife while simultaneously becoming the prime suspect in a murder case.
The series, which is also being directed by Hollander, will be a modern-day reimagining with Bernthal as Kaye, who was arrested 18 years prior for murder and is struggling to find his footing in the LA sex industry while also seeking out the truth behind the frame-job that landed him in prison.
“American Gigolo comes with all the sizzle you’d expect, but it also offers a deep dive into the complicated waters of relationships and sexuality in 2020,” Gary Levine, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks, said in a statement. “We’ve assembled an ‘A’ team to adapt this iconic movie into a Showtime series with the talent and magnetism of Jon Bernthal, the exquisite filmmaking and showrunning of David Hollander, the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer and our new sister studio, Paramount.”
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Bernthal is also attached to produce American Gigolo while Bruckheimer will executive produce with Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed.
(Photo Credit: Backgrid Images)
Written by: CS
