Jon Bernthal to play a high-priced male escort in new Showtime drama
By Mads Lennon
Jon Bernthal has been cast as Julian Kaye, a male escort, in the Showtime remake of the original 1980s film, American Gigolo.
Jon Bernthal is set to portray the leading character in Showtime‘s upcoming remake of the 1980 neo-noir film, American Gigolo, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Currently, the high-profile script is in the pilot stage, but with Bernthal’s involvement, there is a good chance the premium cable channel will order it to series.
Bernthal will play Julian Kaye, a high-priced male escort attempting to navigate the turbulent waters of the sex industry 18 years after he was arrested for murder. While he works in the industry, he also attempts to investigate the setup that put him away in prison for all those years.
The original movie starred Richard Gere and Laura Hutton, Bernthal will play the role originated by Gere. This particular pilot has been in contention since 2014, so it appears it is finally picking up steam, although it’s not official that the series will make it to our screens quite yet.
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The article indicates that Bernthal was in high demand this past pilot season, so it’s a good sign to see what pilot wound up piquing his interest. Bernthal has picked some pretty intriguing projects as of late, so I’m hoping this one winds up getting ordered to series as I’d love to see what direction the showrunners could take it.
“‘American Gigolo’ comes with all the sizzle you’d expect, but it also offers a deep dive into the complicated waters of relationships and sexuality in 2020,” says Showtime president Gary Levine in a recent statement.
Bernthal currently has numerous projects in the works, so it’s not entirely clear when the pilot would begin to film. No other casting announcements have been made yet. He recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed film Ford v. Ferrari.
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Are you looking forward to watching Jon Bernthal take on the role of Julian Kaye? Were you a fan of the original American Gigolo film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.