‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The English Patient’ and ‘Chocolat’ Series Are in the Works!!

As it emerges from the shadow of longtime boss Harvey Weinstein, who is now a convicted sex offender, Miramax is raiding its vaults to expand its media footprint. Some of its most acclaimed films, including Gangs of New York, The English Patient, and Chocolat, are being developed as TV series. Variety reports that new studio head Jonathan Glickman is spearheading the effort to make the most of the studio’s 1990s-2000s golden age, when it was a regular contender at the Academy Awards.

The profile documents Miramax‘s attempts to recapture its past glories, while mending fences with creators who were burned by Weinstein in the past; in addition to the mooted TV series, it also covers the revival of Scary Movie, which will herald the return of the series’ original creators, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Keenen Ivory Wayans. Other TV series adaptations on the table include a series based on 2023’s critical darling The Holdovers, which Glickman is attempting to do with director Alexander Payne. It also details new visions of Cop Land, Shall We Dance, and The Faculty, which will be done with the involvement, respectively, of original creators James Mangold, Jennifer Lopez, and Robert Rodriguez.

What Is ‘Gangs of New York’ About?

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Amsterdam, a young man attempting to join the anti-immigrant gang that rules the Five Points neighborhood in 1860s New York City. The gang’s leader, the fanatical Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), takes a shine to Amsterdam, and takes him under his wing. What Bill doesn’t know is that Amsterdam is the son of Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), a rival gang leader who he slew decades ago; and that Amsterdam has come to seek revenge. However, Amsterdam soon finds himself swept up in the events of the day, as the government tries to conscript citizens to fight in the Civil War, while the corrupt Boss Tweed (Jim Broadbent) rules the city. He also becomes entangled with the alluring con artist Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz). Loosely based on real events and people, the film was a longtime passion project of Martin Scorsese, who attempted to get the film made for decades; it was, at the time, Scorsese‘s highest-grossing movie, with a worldwide take of $193 million USD, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, but went home empty-handed. It was the first collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio; the two have now worked on six films together.

The English Patient had more success at the Oscars: based on a novel by Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, it told the tale of a wounded man (Ralph Fiennes) telling his life story to a nurse (Juliette Binoche) during WWII, and took home nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Anthony Minghella. Chocolat stars Binoche as Vianne Rocher, a chocolatier whose confections have a profound influence on a small French village.

TV series based on Gangs of New York, The English Patient, and Chocolat, among others, are in development at Miramax.

via Collider