Showtime’s Biggest Series Fires Its Showrunner
Showtime has had some great shows on the platform, like Ray Donovan for instance. Now, the person responsible for Ray Donovan has been fired.
This article is more than 2 years old
Though David Hollander and Showtime have had a long-running and successful relationship, it seems the two are parting ways. A recent report from Deadline revealed the news and as of now, rumors say there is an investigation into misconduct allegations. David Hollander is best known for his work as the showrunner of Ray Donovan, and he has most recently worked on the upcoming American Gigolo TV adaptation.
When a Showtime and Paramount Television rep was asked about David Hollander’s exit, they didn’t give much context, simply saying that the showrunner was off American Gigolo and that the studios no longer have a producing relationship with him. At this time, Hollander has also not released any comments or information on the split. This could mean that his firing was a result of something serious.
Despite David Hollander’s departure, the American Gigolo TV series looks like it will still be full steam ahead. David Bar Katz, who worked with Hollander on both Ray Donovan and the new series, is set to step in and replace him as showrunner. According to the reports, there have been seven episodes filmed of the ten-episode season before the showrunner duties changed hands. Thus, it sounds like at least the first season will have Hollander’s creative fingerprints on it. The firing is surprising, considering Hollander has been Emmy nominated for his work for Showtime. Clearly, some behind-the-scenes drama has led to this sudden news.
The American Gigolo film is known for bringing Richard Gere into the public eye. The Paul Schrader written and directed film starred Gere as Julian Kaye, a male escort who is framed for murder. Meanwhile, he begins to fall in love with a local politician’s wife, named Michelle. The TV adaptation will take place in the modern-day, with Julian Kaye being released from prison 18 years after he was arrested for murder. The show will see him struggling in the new LA sex industry, looking for the truth behind his arrest, and reconnecting with Michelle after years of being away. The TV series will star Jon Bernthal as Julian and Gretchen Mol as Michelle. Gabriel LaBelle, Rosie O’Donnell, Leland Orser, and Lizzie Brochere also star. In addition to being the former showrunner, David Hollander also wrote and directed the pilot episode. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, and Kristie Anne Reed are all on as executive producers.
In addition to Ray Donovan, David Hollander is best known for his work on The Guardian, Heartland, and The Cleaner. He also wrote, executive produced and directed the recent movie for Ray Donovan. He’s also on board to produce a currently untitled project based on the memoir Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The series is set to star Justin Timberlake. The memoir is written by Chuck Barris, who created game shows like The Gong Show, The Dating Game, and The Newlywed Game. In his memoir, he claims to be a CIA assassin too. Paramount Television Studios and Miramax are co-producing the series, so it’s unclear if this situation will lead to David Hollander losing that show as well. We’ll keep you updated right here at GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT as this story develops.
