What with Pete’s Dragon and Ben-Hur recently tackling the silver screen box office again this month, we should barely be surprised when tales of another reboot come out. Another version of The Mummy is set to launch? Sure. Jumanji? If you think you can tackle that mountain, go right ahead.
Much in the same way of this cynicism, some movie buffs may think Amazon’s new reboot project may be taking a little more than they can chew. In a slightly wry article, TVGuide.com has announced the reboot of Martin Scorsese’s famed drama The Departed as a new television series.
As Scorsese fans know well, The Departed centered around the deadly fight between Irish-American organized crime and the local police force in South Boston. It premiered in 2006 and earned high ratings from critics and casual movie-goers alike. The Departed featured a sharp script with blurred emotional lines, but most of the acclaim was focused on the stars of the film, particularly Leonardo DiCaprio (who played the young undercover cop who infiltrates the gang, Bill Costigan), Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson.
The movie pushes and pulls between the cops and the mob as they attempt to plan, rethink, and execute their attacks on each other, ultimately testing the true allegiances of each character.
With that being said, it appears that Amazon’s serialized version of The Departed will differ from this current layout to an extent. Instead of focusing on an Irish mob, the new serialized show will feature Latin street gangs in Chicago who place a mole in the Chicago Police Department after being infiltrated by one of their undercover employees.
The move from Irish to Latin gangs is an interesting choice, but the series is penned by Detroit 1-8-7 creator Jason Richman. Detroit 1-8-7 was a short-lived Amazon show centered around Detroit’s homicide unit within the police department, so at least the element of crime (and writing for crime) is still in the show’s blood.
I would keep positivity in mind for this new reboot. Much like Ghostbusters, the original team behind The Departed has had a hand in these developments. According to Deadline, Vertigo Entertainment, Initial Entertainment Group, and Plan B Entertainment helped produce the series alongside Amazon. The Departed TV series is also the first major deal between WBTV and Amazon’s two-year overall deal, which was official as of late 2015, and was the first to be put into development. It appears Amazon is building their action and drama content, as Jack Ryan is also in talks of being developed as a serialized drama.
No news yet about who will be starring or directing in Amazon’s The Departed, but when you go from DiCaprio and Scorsese, you’ll want to aim high.