Earlier this year, we got “Gangster Squad,” a dramatization of the battle between Los Angeles cops and ruthless gangster Mickey Cohen that made Warren Beatty‘s “Dick Tracy” look understated and subtle by comparison. In short, it was a disaster, but can the small screen be the saving grace of that juicy story? We’ll soon see, as in a few months Frank Darabont will drop his take on the tale, and we have to say, as far as first impressions go…this has caught our attention.
Formerly known as “L.A. Noir,” then “Lost Angels” and now settling on the thoroughly generic “Mob City,” the event series (as it’s being billed), is based on the book “L.A. Noir: The Struggle For The Soul Of America’s Most Seductive City” by John Buntin, and it looks pretty sizzling. Jon Bernthal reteams with Darabont, after working with him on “The Walking Dead,” and plays Joe Teague, an ex-Marine now working as an LAPD cop in an era rampant with police corruption. And of course, he’s gonna do something about it. The cast is rounded out by Jeffrey DeMunn, Jeremy Strong, Neal McDonough, Milo Ventimiglia, Ron Rifkin, Pihla Viitala and Alexa Davalos. And yes, that’s Simon Pegg right at the end, busting out an American accent, in his guest role, which is being kept under wraps.
“Mob City” arrives on December 4th. And yeah, we’ll be watching. Check out the first teaser below.