'The Deuce', set in the 1970s and '80s and also starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, is one of David Simon drama pilots for HBO.
- Jan 20, 2016
AceShowbiz - Porn drama "The Deuce" starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal has been ordered to series by HBO. However, an episode count and a premiere date for the period drama have not been determined yet.
Written by "The Wire" creator David Simon and longtime collaborator George Pelecanos, the show follows the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York's Times Square from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s. It explores the rough-and-tumble world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic, and the renewed real estate market ended the bawdy turbulence.
The story is partly inspired by the career of twin brothers who were players in the Times Square world and became fronts for Mob control of the volatile and lucrative sex industry from its origins. Franco will play the twins, Vincent and Frankie Martino. Gyllenhaal will star as Eileen Merrell or "Candy" on the street, a Times Square hooker and veteran with an entrepreneurial bent who is drawn into the fledgling porn industry.
Gary Carr, Margarita Levieva, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Dominique Fishback and Emily Meade also join the cast. Michelle MacLaren ("Breaking Bad") is set to direct the pilot. Franco will serve as executive producer along with Simon, Pelecanos, Price, MacLaren and Nina K. Noble. Meanwhile, Marc Henry Johnson and Gyllenhaal are credited as producers.
The project is one of Simon drama pilots for HBO. He's also working on a Capitol Hill drama with veteran journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame.
