It was announced last year that Jon Bernthal was slated to star in and produce a TV series adaptation of American Gigolo for Showtime. It may have taken a while, but it was announced today that the network has now handed out a series order.
Set to be written and directed by David Hollander (Ray Donovan), the American Gigolo series will be a contemporary reimagining of the 1980 film of the same name starring Richard Gere. Jon Bernthal will play Julian Kaye, "who is introduced 15 years after he’s been arrested for murder and struggling to find his footing in the modern-day Los Angeles sex industry, while seeking the truth about the set-up that sent him to prison all those years ago and also hoping to reconnect with Michelle, his one true love, played by Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire)." In addition to Jon Bernthal and Gretchen Mol, the American Gigolo cast will also include Rosie O’Donnell (SMILF) as homicide Detective Sunday, Lizzie Brocheré (Falling Water) as sex work ring heiress Isabelle, Gabriel LaBelle (Dead Shack) as a younger version of Julian named Johnny, and Leland Orser (Ray Donovan) as Richard Stratton, a self-made tech billionaire. Additionally, Wayne Brady (The Wayne Brady Show) will guest star as Lorenzo, Julian’s best friend and mentor.
"If you haven’t already fallen under the spell of Jon Bernthal, get ready," said Gary Levine, Showtime's President of Entertainment. "Jon absolutely owns the screen with his searing, brooding and vulnerable performance in this contemporary version of American Gigolo. Writer/director David Hollander brilliantly reimagines the seductive original film, confronting the mystery, the exhilaration and the danger of our deepest desires." Jon Bernthal was recently seen in Taylor Sheridan's Those Who Wish Me Dead alongside Angelina Jolie, and will next be seen in The Many Saints of Newark on September 24, 2021 and in King Richard on November 19, 2021.
