EXCLUSIVE: I hear the Boardwalk Empire duo of director Martin Scorsese and writer Terence Winter is re-teaming with HBO for another sweeping period drama series project, and this time, they have rock legend Mick Jagger as a partner. The project, referred to as History of Music, is a rock ‘n’ roll epic, which follows two friends through 40 years in the music business, from the early days of R&B to contemporary hip-hop.
It originated as a feature based on Jagger’s idea, first at Disney and most recently at Paramount where it was set up three years ago with Scorsese attached to direct, The Departed scribe William Monahan to write and Jagger, his Jagged Films partner Victoria Pearman and Scorsese producing. I hear HBO is now making a deal with Paramount to develop a pilot based on the idea, and Sopranos alum and Boardwalk Empire creator Winter is being brought in to write it. (Monahan is no longer involved.) Scorsese would get first crack at directing if the project goes to pilot. Scorsese also directed the pilot for Boardwalk Empire, which was picked up to series and was a top seller at the international LA Screenings in May. Deals are still being negotiated, but Scorsese, Jagger, Pearman and Winter are expected to executive produce the History of Music project. Boardwalk Empire, set in 1920s Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition, premieres Sept. 19. Scorsese directed Jagger and his Rolling Stones bandmates in the 2008 feature documentary Shine a Light, which Pearman produced.





With a great season of True Blood and Boardwalk Empire coming up, HBO is back. Boardwalk Empire will dethrone Mad Men.
Dear Jack:
Pawn Stars gets higher ratings than Mad Men, so I’m not sure what “throne” you’re talking about.
And so does True Blood. But, my point is that at the awards, Boardwalk Empire might dethrone Mad Men for best drama. I mean you have Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter and Steve Buscemi. Steve was great on The Sopranos. He was even nominated for an emmy for his role. Matt Weiner might be jealous come January. The fact that the pilot was hot at the LA International screenings, shows how great this pilot is.
He was EVEN nominated for an EMMY. Wow. If you had any inkling of how ridiculously random, capricious, and unrigorous that nominating and selection process is, you’d find a lot less approbation in it. (approbation [?æpr??be???n] n 1. commendation; praise 2. official recognition or approval).
Be sure to keep plenty of oxygen and Depends on hand.
ha!!!!
We’ve seen this all before. There’s a rule with covering classic tunes, if you’re not bringing anything new to the table, then just leave it be.
Still waiting for an HBO-style Beatles biopic series.
I’ve seen Boardwalk Empire. It’s GREAT! this sounds awesome too. Good work!!
For a rumored 35 MILLION dollars, it better be great. (Isn’t it a little unfair for HBO to be competing with mere mortals who spend a tenth of what they’ve dished out here for a pilot?)
having said that, i am looking forward to seeing it,as well as LUCK and can’t forget.. TILDA! Definitely HBO is serious about getting back on top of Showtime. Game on,Mr. Nevins.
The trailer for Boardwalk Empire makes it look great. That’s $50 million well spent
Ronnie – Why is it unfair? Who says the “mere mortals” like NBC or CBS can’t spend more money on ambitious programming? It’s not like they don’t have it and don’t make it back. You get what you pay for.
with the team of Winter and Scorsese how can Broadway Empire go wrong. can’t wait to see it. Thank you HBO for having great taste.
This was great when Bakshi called it “American Pop”.
Interesting post, and very relevant to my story in today’s WSJ about “Boardwalk Empire” and HBO’s $5 million boardwalk. HBO says pilot is costing $20 million. Others familiar with the budget told WSJ it’s costing closer to $30 million. Here’s the full story…
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704684604575381030727161888.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_lifestyle#articleTabs%3Darticle
I remember the announcement for this years ago when the working title was “THE LONG PLAY.” I still think that’s a more intriguing title than this stodgy “history of music” that’s being attached.
I respect the accomplishments of these men. Scorsese and Jagger are legends in their own right and Winter is no slouch so this will surely do well. However, I question the value of executives who only rely on proven brands and will break the bank to get them. That doesn’t seem to require much talent and fails to impress me. Where are the execs who discover “diamonds in the rough” and develop the product into something untrained eyes overlook? It appears that film has gone the way of music. Gone are the days of execs who make stars. Now they will pay through the nose just to have their name and company mentioned alongside the talent.