HBO is the American cable channel that made a name for itself by airing the shows that other channels wouldn’t dare to air; the controversial, the sadistic, the downright gratuitous, and usually, the utterly brilliant; they have brought some truly wonderful programs to the small screen over the past few years, from OZ to True Blood, Band of Brothers to The Sopranos, Deadwood to The Wire, and many more, and now, hot off the heels of their latest acclaimed success story; The Pacific; the people at HBO are gearing up for the release of Boardwalk Empire, their newest show, that looks to be the program that HBO fans have been waiting for ever since the end of The Sopranos.
Boardwalk Empire is a show set in Atlantic City, 1920, at the dawn of prohibition; a time where the outlawing of such a menial, everyday thing, as alcohol, saw the biggest upsurge in crime in the history of the United States; the time where Al Capone made a name (and a tax free fortune) for himself, simply by giving the public what they wanted (and bribing enough cops to deal with a whole city of Rodney Kings), and gangsters like him were well respected, well known, and feared nothing.
And as it was such a gangster infested time, it’s perfect territory for Martin Scorsese (who, aside from directing Shutter Island type thrillers, is famous for his gangster epics; film fans may recall his work on Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed), who has directed the series pilot episode, and will be continuing to be a creative influence for the rest of the show’s 12 episode run, by staying on board as a producer.
The main force behind the series then, will be the award winning Sopranos writer Terence Winter, who decided to keep the setting where it is; rather than take the source material (a book, entitled Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, written by Nelson Johnson) word for word, and follow its more sweeping account of Atlantic City’s history; as he felt that setting it any later (even in the 50’s; which was an idea he toyed with) would make it “feel like Tony’s dad’s show.”
Terence has also steered clear of including Sopranos alumni cast members for that very reason, although his main character; Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson; is going to be played by long-time Sopranos fan, guest director, and star of the show’s fifth series, Steve Buscemi (Reservoir dogs); a perfect choice for the enigmatic backroom dealer, who’s just a bit slimy, and not somebody you’d want to cross.
The cast also includes Michael Pitt (The Village), Shea Whigham (Fast & Furious), Aleksa Palladino (Wrong turn 2: Dead End), Vincent Piazza (Rescue Me), and Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) as Chalky White; the leader of the African-American community.
Nevertheless, despite the attention to detail, brilliant acting, direction, and storyline potential, (all viewable in the newly released trailer below) that literally screams out to be watched, it will be a while before anyone gets to see the finished product; as HBO aren’t releasing it until this fall, and then it will presumably have a spring or summer debut in the U.K. next year.
For now however, the trailer will have to suffice, yet it should come with a warning, as seeing Steve Buscemi essentially playing Don Soprano (as Boardwalk looks very much like The Godfather crossed with HBO’s best loved series, The Sopranos) will leave gangster fans too excited to breathe; this really does look like HBO at its best, and that’s no easy feat.
