A pilot drama set in the 1970s has been commissioned by HBO from creator David Simon on the rough and tumble world of the New York sex industry and will star actor James Franco as twin porn bigwigs.
The drama titled "The Deuce" will be directed by Michelle MacLaren from "Breaking Bad," while Franco will also be an executive producer.
The story is an account of the promiscuous lives of the demimonde of Times Square during the heady 70s and 80s.The story follows characters caught up in New York's porn industry as it goes through its phases of legalization leading to its rise and the associated violence, cocaine addiction and the rise of HIV, according to the Telegram.
The title of the drama is after the nickname for 42nd street in New York and was inspired. by the lives of twin brothers who were notorious during the Time Square era. The twins went on to become mob control fronts in the lucrative porn industry.
Simon told TV Line in an interview what interested him was the concept of profit becoming the primary metric at a certain time in New York's society. He said it was about the commodity that was sold and about the people, who created, profited and eventually suffered at its hands.
The pilot was penned by Simon together with "Treme" and "Wire" collaborator George Pelecanos who told the website the drama will portray a rich gamut of characters from New York's "Wild West heydays" with a fascinating story that creators are eager to tell.
The drama will go into production later this year in New York after Franco finishes filming for Season 1 of Hulu's J.J.Abrams-Stephen King miniseries 11/22/63.