Martin Scorsese Spearheads ‘Gangs of New York’ Television Adaptation

If one would be asked to name a film by Martin Scorsese, it’s probably a safe bet that they’d name Goodfellas or Wolf of Wall Street or Taxi Driver. One film which has somehow fallen by the wayside is the big-budget historical epic Gangs of New York.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio in his first collaboration (of many) with Scorsese, the film was based in part on Herbert Asbury’s 1927 book of the same name. Screenwriters Jay Cocks, Kenneth Lonergan, and Steve Zallian co-wrote the film which dove into the tempestuous world of the Big Apple during the mid 1800s. As the Civil War raged, New York was a powder keg. Political corruption barely even bothered to conceal itself, rival police and firefighter factions fought each other, and waves of Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine were confronted by ‘nativism’ from American Protestants. The film also starred Daniel Day-Lewis in one of his signature performances as the utterly sadistic William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting.

Gangs of New York was one of Scorsese’s primary passion projects. He first read Asbury’s book in 1970, but it wasn’t until nine years had passed (and only after he made it big with Taxi Driver) that he could secure the screen rights. His problems didn’t stop there, however. In a Gilliam-esque exercise in frustration and persistence, Scorsese’s project was kicked around by various studios. Scorsese and Cocks wrote at least nine different revisions. A-list actors such as Robert De Niro and Willem Dafoe signed on and dropped out as the project languished in development hell. Whether it was due to the high budget, the need to film outside of New York, Scorsese’s ambitious ideas for the project, or for the screenplay’s excessive violence, studios such as Disney and Universal Pictures rejected the film. After a full two decades, Scorsese finally achieved the means to make Gangs of New York, but the problems still didn’t end there. Production lasted three years as shooting took place on vast sets in Rome and New York. Scorsese had many infamous arguments with his producer (the disgraced and imprisoned Harvey Weinstein) over how the film would be made. Eventually, Scorsese prevailed; Gangs of New York was released to critical acclaim, ten Oscar nominations, and nearly $200 million at the box office.

Now, twenty years after the film was released, it’s been announced that Scorsese has signed a deal with Miramax Television to work on a TV adaptation alongside acclaimed writer Brett Leonard (Fear the Walking Dead, Taboo). Not only will Scorsese produce this new series, he will also be directing the first two episodes. Fans might remember that he did something similar with both his prior historical series - the highly acclaimed Boardwalk Empire and the short-lived Vinyl - so this will be a well-trod path for the veteran filmmaker. In fact, this isn’t even the first time that Scorsese has attempted to revisit his 2002 film. An attempt was previously made in 2013, aiming to focus on other cities beyond New York. We’ll see whether this venture is more successful. According to a statement by Scorsese, “This time and era of America’s history and heritage is rich with characters and stories that we could not fully explore in a two-hour film. A television series allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life.”

Little is also known about the television adaptation’s plot thus far, though it will allegedly feature a whole new cast of characters. Some will lament the missed opportunity to see more of the figures that populated the film, such as the club-wielding mercenary Walter “Monk” McGinn (Brendan Gleeson), the aforementioned Bill Cutting, and the historical figures Boss Tweed (Jim Broadbent) and Hell-Cat Maggie (Cara Seymour). However, one can safely assume that the series will have a lot to work with when it comes to fresh storylines and new characters. Considering how the film did such a good job blending fact and fiction, Scorsese’s dedication to this story, and Leonard’s own accomplished record as a writer, we can certainly expect something interesting from this upcoming series.