A trio of heavyweights have attached themselves to a new TV series about the 1849 Gold Rush.
Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson are teaming up for THE BARBARY COAST from The Mark Gordon Company. Based on the book of the same name from Herbert Asbury, who also penned GANGS OF NEW YORK, the series would start with the Gold Rush and the influx of interesting characters – gold-seekers, prostitutes, gamblers, thieves and various other unsavory individuals – who populated San Francisco in its baby stages.
Russell and Hudson would topline the project with Gibson set as a recurring performer, but Mel's biggest contributions to the series will come as a director, stepping behind the camera for chunks of the project, as well as co-writing pieces of it.
No network is yet involved with the series, but The Mark Gordon Company is said to be ready to shop THE BARBARY COAST around to premium cable networks and content streaming services, given the pedigree of who is involved… and who could blame them? In a statement announcing the project, Mark Gordon could hardly contain his excitement.
Most people don’t know the scandalous history behind San Francisco, and THE BARBARY COAST offers a rich portrayal of a period when success was often attained through illicit and brutal means. I’m excited that Kurt and Kate are working together alongside Mel, whose astute direction will bring this devious time in our history to life.
Sounds like a blood relative of HBO's DEADWOOD, doesn't it? In that case, I am definitely in, as if I wasn't already with Gibson, Russell and Hudson on-board.