According to Deadline, Martin Scorsese will direct the first two episodes of a TV show based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book Gangs of New York. Also, the report stated that Brett Leonard, famous for his work on Fear the Walking Dead, Low Winter Sun, Taboo, and the upcoming Apple TV+ show Shantaram, will pen the show's script.
Apart from directing the show, Scorsese will also serve as one of the show's executive producers, alongside his and Leonard's managers Chris Donnelly and Rick Yorn. The planned Gangs of New York show will be developed by Miramax Television. However, it will be based on new characters and will not be a remake of the original movie.
In 2002, the multiple Oscar award winner directed the book's adaptation to a movie that featured Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz were the main characters, while Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, Henry Thomas, John C. Reilly, Stephen Graham, and Eddie Marsan starred in supporting roles.
The movie's script was written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonnergan. The Gangs of New York film went on to gross over $190 million on a budget of about $100 million and earned over 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, and Best Actor. It was also nominated for five Golden Globe awards with Scorsese winning in the Best Director category.