HBO has greenlit a new David Simon mini-series titled "Show Me A Hero," according to Deadline. The series, which will be six hours in length, is based on the 1988 non-fiction book of the same name by Lisa Belkin. It will be written for TV by Simon and William F. Zorzi, a writer with Simon on "The Wire," as well a journalist for the "Baltimore Sun-Times."
The series, like the book, is set in the late 1980s-early 90's, and will follow the story of Nick Wasicsko, the young mayor of Yonkers who is being forced via federal court order to build new and affordable housing in the more Caucasian sections of his city, according to Variety. This action by Mayor Wasicsko causes havoc in the city's government, pitting the residents of Yonkers at each other's throats and, ultimately, submarines his career.
Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") and Oscar Isaac ("The Bourne Legacy," "Sucker Punch") have been cast in the series, according to Baltimore Magazine and the Hollywood Reporter.com. Isaac will play the embattled Mayor Wasicsko, while Keener will play Mary Dorman, a homeowner in Yonkers who plays a central role in the battle over whether or not low-income housing should be built in neighborhoods like the one where she resides.
Simon and Zorzi will be serving as executive producers, along with Gail Mutruz ("Rain Man," "Donnie Brasco") and Nina Kostroff Noble, who served as a producer on Simon's two other series, "The Wire" and "Treme," which just finished its fourth and final season last year and earned four Emmy nominations.
Also signed on as an executive producer for the series is Paul Haggis, director of "Crash" and "In The Valley Of Elah," who will also be directing all six episodes.
