With Mad Men soon coming to a close, those yearning for riveting 1960s revolution and beards may soon turn to HBO. The network has picked up a script for the drama Open City, a film focusing on the beginning of the gay rights movement in 1960s New York. (Maybe this is where Salvatore Romano disappeared to?) According to the Hollywood Reporter, Open City will feature “characters from disparate corners of Manhattan as they navigate the cultural revolution and political turmoil of the era.” It will also include a look at the “unlikely alliance” between the gay community and the Mafia upon the opening of a nightclub in the West Village.
HBO’s decision to pick up the movie was likely influenced by the critical and ratings success of its most recent project, The Normal Heart, which focused on the beginnings of the AIDS epidemic in New York. It was the fifth most successful movie the network has aired. Behind The Candleabra, 2013’s glimpse into the life of Liberace and his young lover, was the networks’ most-watched original film in nine years.
Adam Shankman (Hairspray) is set to direct and executive produce the project, while David Kajganich will serve as both writer and executive producer. The crew will also include a consulting producer, Ronnie Lorenzo, who was an owner of the Stonewall Inn, the NYC bar where the 1969 Stonewall riots took place.