In development since 2010—way back before “music” became the system of clicks and whistles emitted by animatronic robots we all embrace now—Martin Scorsese, his Boardwalk Empire partner Terence Winter, and Mick Jagger had an idea for an HBO show set behind the scenes of the music biz. After three years of intermittent progress, now Deadline says that show’s Bobby Cannavale is in talks to star, similarly bringing his experience with intimidation, shady business practices, and erotic asphyxiation to another industry built on all three of those things. Cannavale would play “Richie, a cocaine-fueled record exec in NYC circa 1977, when punk, disco and a new form of music called hip-hop collided,” then all of those were set aside in favor of playing Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” on repeat. And even though the as-yet-untitled series still doesn’t have an official green light, with Cannavale close to starring and a writing staff being assembled, it’s now moving toward a 2014 shoot—just about the time we should be even more nostalgic for “music,” in between blasting the latest rhythmic bursts of static.
Join the discussion...