Jon Bernthal Starring In An ’80s Classic Reboot Series
Jon Bernthal is joining a new series, a reboot of a classic 80s film with a noir mystery vibe. It could be a very cool new project for the actor
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Jon Bernthal has definitely become a leading man and has a number of high-profile productions in the pipeline. That list just got a little bit longer with the actor taking a role in what will be a new series. Deadline is reporting that Bernthal has been cast in the new Showtime series rebooting the movie American Gigolo from the early 1980s. It’s a bit different from what the actor has done in the past, though this one could definitely have a noir-mystery vibe to it.
The new series with Jon Bernthal will actually be something of a sequel to the original American Gigolo film that came out more than forty years ago. Bernthal will play Julian Kaye who was the main character in that original. This series will pick up 15 years after the events of the original film. In that movie, Kaye was played by Richard Gere. Kaye is a high-priced escort in Los Angeles who “services” all manner of women in the area. Things take a darker turn when one of his clients is found murdered and he becomes the primary suspect.
Clearly, the new series will fudge some of the American Gigolo timelines with Jon Bernthal picking up the story in the present day. Apparently, according to the logline, the show will begin to focus on the fallout of the events of the movie. He’s still very much involved in the sex industry, which has likely changed and evolved since the events of the film. But there will be a mystery vibe to this one as well with Bernthal’s Kaye trying to figure out who set him up and why in the first movie.
Joining Jon Bernthal in the cast will be Gretchen Mol playing Michelle Stratton. In the movie, this character was played by Laura Hutton and the two have a relationship that exists outside of the escort service business. She becomes a part of the murder investigation as well in that she eventually provides an alibi for Kaye on the night of the murder, coming at the cost of her family because she needs to admit having been with an escort.
Jon Bernthal is also on as a producer for the American Gigolo series which will be helmed by David Hollander. He’s best known for his work on Ray Donovan. In this way, there’s a good chance he puts Bernthal in a place of significant intrigue and plot-twisting with the new show which, if it follows the path from the original movie, could have a dark and seedier vibe to it.
Of course, Jon Bernthal has some experience playing characters hovering around the fringes of society. His role as The Punisher on Netflix is going to get him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that they have the rights to that character. It’s not clear when Bernthal will make his first official appearance there, but some rumors have him in the Moon Knight series and possibly a Spider-Man film along the way.
It’s a very busy time for Jon Bernthal right now who has a number of movies in the works including The Many Saints of Newark, Small Engine Repair, and King Richard. Plus there’s another series in the works with FX’s The Platform. So he’s as busy as ever and now can add this new Showtime series to the list.
