Showtime has announced that they have officially given a series order to David Hollander’s upcoming reboot of American Gigolo, based on Paul Schrader’s 1980 neo-noir film of the same name which was led by Richard Gere (Chicago) as a high-priced male escort. The reboot will now be led by The Walking Dead and The Punisher alum Jon Bernthal as he takes on the leading role of Julian Kaye. It will also serve as a continuation of the original film’s ending where it will find the character 15 years after he was arrested.
“If you haven’t already fallen under the spell of Jon Bernthal, get ready,” Showtime Networks’ President of Entertainment Gary Levine said in a statement. “Jon absolutely owns the screen with his searing, brooding, and vulnerable performance in this contemporary version of American Gigolo. Writer/director David Hollander brilliantly reimagines the seductive original film, confronting the mystery, the exhilaration, and the danger of our deepest desires.”
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Showtime’s American Gigolo is a present-day reimagining of the iconic 1980 film. Bernthal will play Julian Kaye, who is introduced 15 years after he’s been arrested for murder and struggling to find his footing in the modern-day Los Angeles sex industry while seeking the truth about the setup that sent him to prison all those years ago and also hoping to reconnect with Michelle, his one true love
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Joining Bernthal are Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire) as Michelle, a character previously portrayed by Lauren Hutton in the original; Rosie O’Donnell (SMILF) as homicide Detective Sunday; Lizzie Brocheré (Falling Water) as sex work ring heiress Isabelle; Gabriel LaBelle (Dead Shack) as a younger version of Julian named Johnny; Leland Orser (Ray Donovan) as Richard Stratton, a self-made tech billionaire; and guest star Wayne Brady (The Wayne Brady Show) as Lorenzo, Julian’s best friend and mentor.
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American Gigolo will be written and directed by David Hollander. Executive producers are original film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, and KristieAnne Reed, with Bernthal set as a producer. It is a production by Paramount Television Studios.
