Michael Rispoli Joins David Simon Drama

The cast for David Simon’s Deuce has expanded to include Michael Rispoli and Natalie Paul.

HBO has been busy lining up a number of new projects, but that one that hasn’t gotten all that much attention lately is The Deuce. That will probably change in the coming months — Deuce comes by way of David Simon, creator of the much-lauded The Wire. Simon has a longstanding relationship with HBO that also includes Treme.

The Deuce just beefed up its cast a bit by adding both Michael Rispoli and Natalie Paul according to Deadline. Many will recognize Rispoli from his time in The Sopranos as Jackie Apriel. Natalie Paul was in HBO’s Show me a Hero — which David Simon wrote on — and also had a small role in a few episodes of Boardwalk Empire. Deuce is about the porn industry in the 70’s an 80’s, specifically about how it effected New York.

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Rispoli, forever typecasted, will play a mobster. Rispoli and Paul are joining an already mighty cast starring both James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The Deuce doesn’t have an expected air date, but it is set for sometime in 2017. As of right now Westworld has a more concrete premiere date.  There’s been a lot of movement for HBO as of late and The Deuce is only one piece of that puzzle.

David Simon projects have a tendency to be critically praised but aren’t huge ratings hooks. The addition of James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal could go a long way to change that, as many people will tune in just to see those two on television. Of course, The Deuce will also have to be good to clinch the deal. With Simon’s track record, that’s not exactly a concern.

Next: Adam McKay and Will Ferrell have a new Project Coming to HBO.

Now that The Deuce is moving relatively quickly, it might not be too long until we see the first teaser.