It was made known a while back that Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Goodfellas with Scorsese, as well as the book it is based on, would be developing a Goodfellas TV series. Not much else was known at the time but a few details have surfaced today. Firstly we know that Scorsese is attached to the project and secondly, the show will look at Henry Hill’s early days and act as a prequel.
In a recent interview, Pileggi said the following:
“We’re trying [to develop the TV series]. 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. The part of the movie people often like best is the opening third, where all the funny stuff is happening, and there’s so much we could fit in.”
I was never too keen on a Goodfellas TV show since I thought the film did a good job and telling the story of Henry Hill. While a TV show could potentially ruin the film’s legacy, I think the projects is in good hands.
One thing is for certain though, unless the show is on a network like HBO, I won’t watch. If it’s on FOX, ABC etc, there won’t be any swearing and the violence will be toned down. This is a gangster show, the R rated content needs to be there. Considering Scorsese has worked with HBO already, on Boardwalk Empire, maybe the network will pick up Goodfellas.
Your thoughts?