Frank Darabont developing L.A. Noir TV show

Even though AMC screwed over Darabont for “The Walking Dead”, he’s not done with television yet. The man is readying his next project for TNT, an adaptation of John Buntin’s “L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City”

So no, not the Rockstar Games title, folks. Sorry to get your hopes up, because it’s easy to see how it could work!

This is the official synposis of the tv show-

L.A. Noir is the true story of a decades-long conflict between the Los Angeles Police Department, under the determined leadership of Police Chief William Parker, and ruthless criminal elements led by Mickey Cohen, a one-time boxer who rose to the top of L.A.’s criminal world. The series is a fast-paced crime drama set in Los Angeles during the 1940s and ’50s. It’s a world of glamorous movie stars, powerful studio heads, returning war heroes, a powerful and corrupt police force and an even more dangerous criminal network determined to make L.A. its West Coast base.

Darabont will be writing and directing the pilot, which means that it’ll be a must-watch. Say what you will about “The Walking Dead” but his pilot episode is a fantastic zombie movie in its own right. 

The pilot of “L.A. Noire” will be executive produced by Michael De Luca (THE SOCIAL NETWORK, MONEYBALL) and Elliot Webb (“Tall Time Tales”).

“The story of L.A. Noir is inspired by an incredibly dramatic period in the history of Los Angeles,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “This project is a sweeping tale of the battle for the soul of the city that was waged between the forces of the LAPD and the West Coast mob. We’re thrilled to be working with Frank Darabont and Michael De Luca, two award-winning storytellers behind some of the most entertaining films of the past two decades, as they to bring this intense and exciting crime-drama to TNT.”

“Noir is a passion of mine, so I feel blessed to delve into a project that speaks in the hardboiled vernacular,” added Darabont. “John Buntin’s superb book, though non-fiction, is our touchstone and inspiration for the stories we’ll be telling, weaving fiction throughout the facts and facts throughout the fiction. The book provides elements that are irresistible, a big canvas with endless possibilities. The goal is to deliver on the tone that the title L.A. Noir promises: a smart, gritty, authentic, period noir drama. Also a blessing is the warm welcome we’ve gotten from Michael Wright and TNT, a great bunch of folks with huge enthusiasm for the source material. The best bonus of all is getting to work with my friend Mike De Luca. He’s terrific, a tremendously smart and talented producer, a gem. Partnering with him on this marvelous project after knowing him for so many years is an absolute treat for me.”

I honestly can’t wait to see Darabont’s take on noir, and hope that the tv execs treat him with a little more respect than he got on his last project.