'Goodfellas' Due on the Small Screen, Courtesy of AMC

Jimmy the Gent

One thing about "Goodfellas": Ray, Bobby D, Joe Pesce and elder statesman Paul Sorvino rocked it... They looked like what mobsters were supposed to look like, with those luxurious suits, silk ties, neatly coiffed haircuts, with not a single strand out of place.

They didn't exactly look like the real crew -- Paul Vario's, of the Luchese family; the real members of the gang look like they are wearing really bad 1970s castoff clothing. But without the original dudes, without Henry Hill flipping and writing his book, on which the film is based, there never would've been Goodfellas, than today's mobsters would still rely on The Godfather to tell them how to dress and act.



Now, while you're feeling all nostalgic, try to get through this without vomiting your guts out (and don't kill the messenger!). It was announced last year and we haven't been able to find any kind of an update. Anyone out there know anything?

AMC Picks Up 'GoodFellas' TV Series | The Playlist:

This one has been brewing for a while now. As early as 2009, word first emerged that a TV series based on Martin Scorsese's classic "GoodFellas" was in the works. Then, in the fall of 2010, that talk became much more real as Martin Scorsese came on board, joining the film's original producer, Irwin Winkler, in the behind the scenes talent, with Nicholas Pileggi writing the series. Well, one of cable's biggest networks right now is throwing their weight behind the series in what will 
likely be one of the most anticipated shows in quite some time.

Deadline reports that AMC, home to a few shows you might have heard of like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," have now put the program in development with Jorge Zamacona ("Homicide: Life On The Streets") joining the writing team. David Winkler and Warner Bros. are also throwing their producing muscle behind the project (though Scorsese's name seems curiously absent), and while plot details haven't been revealed, it's long been expected that the show will follow Henry Hill's time in witness protection. At least that was the general premise back when it was being pitched to HBO a few years ago, who eventually passed, though it may have changed shape by then.


But this is pretty much a no brainer. "GoodFellas" is a contemporary classic, one of the cable staples now
 that you hate coming across while channel surfing because it usually means you miss out on sleep/waste an afternoon watching it through until the end. It's influence and stature are undeniable, and people are gonna want to see more from that world. The talent behind this thing is solid, and it seems like it can't miss. And those are exactly the reasons why expecations are going to be sky high on this, so AMC and co. have a big bar to reach.

Still early days, but maybe we'll see this on the 2013 program slate at long last? Let's hope.


















Comments

  1. why focus on Henry the rat in WP and this should be on HBO where there are no commercials and much more real language

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    1. HBO probably passed, like they did on Mad Men and I think Breaking Bad...

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  2. These guys get their own show...

    Like so many of these criminals - capitalizing off their crimes. There should be a mandatory policy under federal law that prohibits criminals from making money off their crimes. I wonder if there's a movie already in the works for Dolce & Gabbana, who were convicted yesterday and received a 20 month sentence for tax evasion. Wonder how much my D&G clothes are worth now? hmm

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    1. Actors are playing the gangsters, not gangsters... Your comment is a bit off key...

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    2. Yes Ed they are actors, Henry Hill is dead and they do have a law and its called the son of sam law. Hollywood makes movies and tv shows about everything or maybe the guy with the comment above would like to censor everything and only do shows about puppies and unicorns

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  3. One thing about Gando's death... now there will never be another Sopranos episode... b4 it had always been possible though doubtful...

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    1. so true Ed, while he was alive there was always that hope of a movie or something even though the chance of that was slim at best

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  4. To have Martin Scorcese on the project would naturally be a benefit, not to mention a "financial benefit" at that but Scorsese is collaborating with distributor, Miramax in the current development of "Gangs of New York", a television series.

    Besides, I really can't see where a "Goodfellas" TV show would go. "Goodfellas" was Henry Hill and his crew...what else is there to tell about that? "Gangs of New York" has the potential to go on-and-on... and there's no limit to the stories

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  5. Just for clarification to readers, the "Son of Sam Law" which was the subject of the notorious 1978 murder case of David Berkowitz, was created in New York after the Son of Sam murders committed by serial killer Berkowitz. The law was designed to keep criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes.

    However, Simon & Schuster sued the New York Crime Victims Board in 1987 to prevent the enforcement of this law. It was during the time the publisher was about to release "Wiseguy" with Nicholas Pileggi. The case reached the Supreme Court in 1991 and the court ruled the law "unconstitutional" and required NY to re-write the law, adhering to the First Amendment.

    To date, each state has re-written the law with regard to First Amendment rights. New York's new "Son of Sam" law, adopted in 2001, only requires that victims of crimes be notified when a convict receives (from any entity) more than $10k.

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