Michael Mann is jumping into the world of prestige TV. After it was announced that WarnerMedia was developing the series “Tokyo Vice” with star Ansel Elgort, it appears we now know who will give the drama life, as Mann has been announced by Deadline as the director of the upcoming show.
Initially, it was announced that “Shang-Chi” filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton was aboard the series as the director, but it appears that he’s taking a backseat as a producer on the series and handing the directing reins over to Mann. It’s being reported that the “Heat” filmmaker will direct the first episode of the series, with the hope that he would perhaps stick around to do more episodes down the line.
“Tokyo Vice” is written by JT Rodgers and is based on the non-fiction book by Jake Adelstein, about his time serving as a beat reporter in Tokyo, following the local police. Elgort has already been announced as playing the lead journalist character. The report also adds that Ken Watanabe is also joining the cast.
Mann, as mentioned, is a legendary director, who is probably best known for his work on films such as “Heat,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “The Insider,” “Collateral,” and “Manhunter.” This isn’t the director’s first foray into the world of serialized storytelling, as one of his first gigs was as the director of an episode of “Police Woman” in 1977. Most recently, the filmmaker helmed the pilot episode of the short-lived HBO series “Luck.”
READ MORE: Michael Mann Says His New ‘Heat’ Novel Will Be Released In 2020
“Tokyo Vice” is being developed for WarnerMedia and will eventually find its way on the studio’s HBO Max streaming service. The service is set to launch sometime in spring 2020. Obviously, it’s far too early to tell when Mann’s drama will arrive.