Showtime has released the official trailer for American Gigolo, its present-day reimagining of the iconic 1980 film, starring Jon Bernthal in the titular role of Julian Kaye.
It hasn’t been a smooth road for the long-in-the-works series adaptation, with two production pauses earlier this year, the first in April following the dismissal of series’ developer, writer, director and executive producer David Hollander following an investigation into allegations of misconduct. His departure came about two weeks after The Offer executive producers Nikki Toscano and Russell Rothberg joined the series as consulting producers. The second pause came a few weeks later when the series’ co-executive producer David Bar Katz also exited the Paramount TV Studios-produced series. Katz had stepped in as showrunner for Hollander, but according to sources, his and Toscano’s vision for the series did not mesh. The series initially received a 10-episode order, but that was shortened to eight episodes for the first season.
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American Gigolo follows Julian Kaye (Bernthal) after his wrongful conviction release from 15 years in prison as he navigates his complicated relationships with his former lover Michelle (Gretchen Mol), his troubled mother, and the people who betrayed him. While Julian struggles to reconcile the escort he was in the past and the man he is today, Detective Sunday (Rosie O’Donnell) seeks the truth about the murder that sent Julian to prison all those years ago, unearthing a much larger conspiracy along the way. Additional casting includes Lizzie Brocheré as Isabelle, the heiress to a ring of sex workers; Gabriel LaBelle as Johnny, a younger version of Julian; Leland Orser as Richard Stratton, a self-made tech billionaire; and guest star Wayne Brady as Julian’s best friend and mentor Lorenzo. Alex Fernandez, Sandrine Holt, Yolonda Ross and Melora Walters also guest star.
Toscano serves as series showrunner and executive producer. Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the original film, executive produces along with Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed and Russell Rothberg. The project is a production of Paramount Television Studios.
American Gigolo premieres Sunday, September 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
Check out the trailer above.