Joining an ever-growing list of movies-to-TV adaptations, The Departed producer Roy Lee has revealed that Martin Scorsese’s award-winning crime drama is officially on its way to the small screen.
Originally a remake of acclaimed Hong Kong crime-thriller Infernal Affairs, Scorsese’s star-studded thriller earned the director his long overdue Best Director gong at the 2007 Oscars, and since then, there have been mooted reports that both he and screenwriter William Monahan – who also took home an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay that year – were working on a potential sequel. Remember, Infernal Affairs spawned an entire trilogy.
Almost a decade after hitting theaters, however, the future of The Departed looks to be tethered to television, with Lee confirming to Collider that a new series is in the early stages of development and will shift the drama to a different city.
“The Departed as a concept is amazing. That’s what attracted me to the story, the two moles working on either side of the law, and translating that idea into other settings with new characters, like how Fargo has taken the feel of the Coen Brother’s film. We were having discussions about making infernal affairs a television series. A different city, so it’s not anything like The Departed, but essentially The Departed as a TV series.”
Exploring the storyline of a sequel in a completely different city not only allows for those involved to mirror the success of Fargo, it also gives some creative leeway to introduce new characters to the scene. After all, those who have seen Scorsese’s intricate white-knuckle ride, and laid eyes on that elevator scene, will know that it’s probably best to start afresh.
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