EXCLUSIVE Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese’s one hour rock and roll pilot set in the early 1970s? It will take three months to shoot, insiders tell me exclusively. The budget is unknown, but for that amount of time, all I can say is Yikes.
Today the untitled show added Jack Quaid, son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, to the cast. They also added Max Casella, fresh from “Blue Jasmine” and “The Sopranos.” Casella played Doogie Howser’s buddy many moon ago on the show that launched Neil Patrick Harris.
This group is added to a list already out there: Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, the main character of the show, along with Olivia Wilde and Juno Temple.
I can tell you exclusively that the cast for this pilot is huge. There are nearly 40 speaking parts including Alice Cooper and his band, all the members of Led Zeppelin, including Plant and Page. REmember this is 1973– everyone will be back to their young and beautiful images.
Terry Winter’s script has something to do with German/Dutch company mega firm Polygram Records trying to muscle in on Richie Finestra’s indie American Century Records. The show is very much about the mob inside the record business. There are juicy parts for two 55 year old-or so character actors– a mob boss named Carmine who’s the nemesis of Maury, the menschy owner of many record labels. The latter sounds perfect for Richard Kind.
Of course, “Boardwalk Empire” had a pilot this extravagant, and has gone on to be a long running hit for HBO. Plus, the mob theme never gets tired.
One thing: I’m told that the producers are trying to introduce early hip hop or rap into the show. But in 1973, believe me, R&B was all about Gamble & Huff, There was no rap. It was all “Backstabbers” and Motown’s move to L.A.
