Martin Scorsese Directing Series Adaptation Of His Best Movie
Martin Scorsese is helping to bring Gangs of New York to television by directing some of the first episodes.
Deadline has reported that auteur director Martin Scorsese is set to executive produce and direct episodes of a series based on his 2002 film Gangs of New York, which was adapted from the 1927 Herbert Asbury book The Gangs of New York. The series is set to hit the premium channel and streaming marketplace, so it remains to be seen who is ready to pick up the bill for this one and add a Martin Scorsese show to their offerings. The series was developed by Miramax Television and was scripted by Brett Leonard.
Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York followed Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio), as he returned to the Five Points area of 1862 New York City to exact revenge on Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). The film was adapted by Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan with a story by Jay Cocks. Along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, the film starred Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, Henry Thomas, Jim Broadbent, and more.
Though it didn’t win any Oscars, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York was nominated for ten of the awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Scorsese. The setting of the critically acclaimed movie is ripe for a return to the screen, as there was plenty going on during this period of American history. According to Deadline’s report, the series will feature a new batch of characters that didn’t appear in the film.
For Martin Scorsese to direct the first episodes of the Gangs of New York series is certainly a rare occurrence. Although Scorsese has plenty of television producing credits, he rarely steps behind the camera for these TV shows. Still, it’s not unheard of as Scorsese directed the pilot episodes for Vinyl and Boardwalk Empire.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Martin Scorsese has some directorial Emmys in his future if he takes on the initial episodes of Gangs of New York, especially if they live up to the standards of the movie. He managed to nab a directing Emmy for his work on the pilot of Boardwalk Empire. Scorsese also has another big TV series on the horizon called The Devil in the White City, which he’ll be serving on as executive producer.
The Devil in the White City tells the dual story of an architect named Daniel Burnham working to build the 1893 World Fair and the first documented serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who uses the fair to lure victims to his “Murder Castle.” Unfortunately, The Devil in the White City has hit some snags as star Keanu Reeves has dropped out along with director Todd Field. Perhaps Martin Scorsese could step in as director to add another TV directing gig to his upcoming docket along with Gangs of New York.
While there’s no word on a release date for Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York series, we can expect to see the director’s next feature film Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the book by David Grann and tells the story of the FBI investigation into the mysterious murders of Osage tribe members in the 1920s. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser star.
