A great week for 19th century Irish period dramas.
News has come out that the creator of Netflix crime drama Narcos is working on a ‘Peaky Blinders-esque period drama’ series focusing on Irish gangs in New York City.
Speaking at the TV festival Series Mania in Lille, France, Chris Brancato announced the news, along with the working title The Westies.
While the title sounds like it’s going to be a show about West Highland Terriers, the premise of it sounds a little grittier.
Although Brancato refused to give any plot details away, he did mention that it will be a period piece focusing on “fearsome Irish gangs” in New York during the 19th century.
The Westies were a real life crime gang, responsible for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing. They were partnered with the Italian-American Mafia and operated out of the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
However, the gang was at its height during the mid-20th century as opposed to the show’s 19th century focus, so there might be some historical fact-bending going on in the upcoming series.
Narcos creator working on ‘Peaky Blinders style’ series with big Irish link
Irish gangs during that period were explored in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, which starred Brendan Gleeson and Liam Neeson as gang members.
As a result of the Famine, a huge diaspora of Irish people emigrated to the US city and where there remains a large community to this day.
Brancata has a long history of bringing top-of-the-range crime dramas to the small screen, including Narcos, which told the story of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and his rise to power as one of the world’s most-wanted criminals.
‘Narcos’ creator Chris Brancato is developing a period drama series, in the vein of ‘Peaky Blinders,’ about Irish gangs in New York.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 21, 2024
(Source: https://t.co/vNABtzbZLn) pic.twitter.com/sBAVBF3oJj
He also created the spinoff series Narcos: Mexico, starring Diego Luna and Michael Pena, the crime series The Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker, as well as writing for Hannibal and Law and Order.
According to Deadline, The Westies is in early development for MGM+.
The news also comes a few days after Netflix announced they’ll be releasing a new show focusing on the Guinness family, titled House of Guinness.
The show is being written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and is set to be directed by both Tom Shankland (House of Cards) and Mounia Akl (Boiling Point).
House of Guinness will also be set in the 19th century, flitting back and forth between Dublin and New York.
Read more:
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- Cillian Murphy to re-team with Peaky Blinders director on new Netflix movie
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