If you have ever thought to yourself, “Man, I loved The Wire, but it would be so cool if a show like that was set in the world of porn,” HBO has some very good news for you.
As reported by Variety, the premium cable network has made a full series order for The Deuce, which will take place in the porn industry from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, as the product became legalized and grew in popularity. The story will reportedly follow the industry’s rise and fall in Times Square, when the increase of HIV, violence over cocaine dealing and a volatile New York City real estate market all contributed to a collapse.
James Franco will star in the series, playing twin brothers who were major players in the Times Square pornography scene and organized crime. The characters will be based on Vincent and Frankie Martino. Maggie Gyllenhaal will co-star as a prostitute who becomes involved in the burgeoning New York porn industry.
So where does that Wire reference come in? David Simon, the former journalist and showrunner for the Baltimore crime drama, wrote the pilot for The Deuce and will be an executive producer on the series. HBO and Simon have been doing business together for a long time. Since The Wire ended its five-season run in 2008, Simon and HBO have partnered on Generation Kill, Treme and most recently, Show Me a Hero (which earned star Oscar Isaac a Golden Globes Award).
Other Wire alumni joining Simon on this production will be writers (and crime novelists) George Pelecanos and Richard Price, and executive producer Nina Noble. One name attached to the project who didn’t work on The Wire, but made a name on Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, is director Michelle MacLaren, who helmed the pilot episode and is an executive producer on the series. Is it possible that she’ll direct every episode, like Cary Fukunaga did on True Detective or Paul Haggis with Show Me a Hero?
No word yet on when The Deuce will premiere on HBO or how many episodes will make up its first season. But if you’re in need of some James Franco, he’ll star in 11.22.63, Hulu’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a teacher traveling back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination. That show debuts in February.
