Okay, so that title may be a bit of a joke.
“I want to do it, Marty wants to do it, Warner Bros wants to do it. Of course, you can’t pick up from Goodfellas,
since we murdered everybody, or rather, everybody was murdered! There’s
nobody left… But I think we’re going to figure out a way to
do the early years – sort of a prequel.”
Those are the words of Nicholas Pileggi, author of the novel on which Goodfellas is based, lending credence to the long-floating rumors that a TV show based on Goodfellas is in the works.
What to think of this? If Marty and co. are involved, and it’s something everyone is equally on board with… why not? Goodfellas
is untouchable. It’s earned its place in the pantheon of cinema, and no
TV show could ever do anything to harm that. It’s also not like
Superman or something, where a show exploring exploring the early years
kind of inherently ruins any part of the “mythos,” so to speak. There
are tons of great stories to tell, and we can never seem to lap up
enough mob stories as viewers. There’s already a little crime show
kicking television apart right now, one with which Marty is intimately
involved and seemed to have a great experience. Hell, even with my
instincts saying that this would have to be on a full-cable network like
HBO, it’s more true every day that basic cable gets away with plenty of
intensity to cover a show like this.
A key element of Goodfellas
is the extreme level of detail it is able to present because of
Scorsese’s fearless direction, fluid camera, and relentless editing-
television (at least, the long-form narrative dramas we love so much)
are the home of thorough detail. This isn’t such a crazy match. A pure
Italian mob drama, set in that golden era of NY crime could be a hell of
a thing if we’re gonna add another show of this kind to the mix. All of
these elements make what would otherwise be a silly idea make sense,
even if it’s 100% unnecessary. Scorsese is currently branching out with a
family film that’s nearing completion, and I’d like to see more of his
effort focused on that idea of exploiting his talent, clout, and
remaining years in the most interesting ways possible.
Hollywood’s had Goodfellas on the brain though, with the recent 20 year anniversary putting the spotlight on the classic once again. Boardwalk
is doing well enough that there may be legitimate momentum, enough to
get this started and in front of cameras, but this is just a novelist
talking, at the end of the day. I absolutely believe him, but even
unified interest from all parties isn’t enough to make this thing
happen.
Souce | Digital Spy