Trailer for Boardwalk Empire and More

It's been a while since my last post, so I'm going to use this post as an update of what's been happening with news about the HBO series and the book Boardwalk Empire.

First, here is a look at the newly released trailer for the show. With the release of this, all signs point to a fall premiere.

While it's only about a minute long, and a little light on content, I think it really sets the tone for the series. A little dark, very 20's, and certainly a high quality production (which was obvious given HBO's reputation and the people involved. I can't wait for the next trailer.

As those of you who read this blog know, I not only blog about the Boardwalk Empire series and the book it was based on, I also am involved in it to an extent. I work for the publisher of the book. In that capacity, I was able to pay a visit to the set in early December. HBO graciously invited Boardwalk Empire author Nelson Johnson and some other people from Plexus Publishing to visit the boardwalk set in Brooklyn, then go watch a few minutes of filming on location in Harlem.

Besides the fact that everyone we met from HBO and the production, including executive producer and writer Terence Winter, was extremely gracious, I also have to say that the boardwalk set was amazing! I've posted some previous video of the buildup, and there are some pictures of the set floating around the Internet, but in person, the set is extremely impressive. It is a little bit of 1920's A.C. transported to Brooklyn. Complete with storefronts, Steel Pier, and a replica of the Ritz Carlton lobby. It seemed to me that Nelson Johnson, who is a historian on the subject, seemed equally impressed.

As I mentioned earlier, with the release of the trailer, it looks like we'll see a 2010 premiere for Boardwalk Empire. I certainly can't wait. In addition, you'll also see a new edition of the book sometime this year as well.

Video of HBO Building Boardwalk Empire Set

Here's an interesting time-lapse video of the buildout of the boardwalk set for HBO's Boardwalk Empire. I believe it took about three months for this to get done.

Gretchen Mol Joins Cast of Boardwalk Empire

It was announced that Gretchen Mol will be joining the cast of Boardwalk Empire. She will be playing in a recurring role as a showgirl. Mol is known most recently for her role in the series "Life on Mars." She also recently starred in the movie "An American Affair."

Some News from the Boardwalk Empire Set

HBO recently invited press to the set of Boardwalk Empire. Here are some links to some of the coverage that resulted from that.

• History meets fiction in HBO's version of 1920s in Atlantic City (The Press of Atlantic City)
• Boardwalk Empire: Behind the Scenes of the Brooklyn Set (Wall Street Journal)
• Boardwalk Empire Set Brings Atlantic City to BK (Broadcasting & Cable)
• HBOs Boardwalk Empire Roars Back to the 1920s (USA Today)

Here's a couple of key points that came out of the articles:

• Writer Terence Winter confirmed that he changed the names of the characters (specifically Nucky Johnson to Nucky Thompson) so that he could fictionalize the story. He even mentions that this was done so they wouldn't fall into the same trap that a series like "Deadwood" fell into, where the eventual fate of the characters was known to anyone who "Googled" the facts.
• Tim Van Patten is directing episodes two and three of the series according to The Press of Atlantic City.
• The 300-foot long boardwalk set took three months to build and is located in Brooklyn which is where they are doing much of the filming.
• The series is being shot in New York, rather than New Jersey, because better tax breaks were offered in New York.

Boardwalk Empire Video from HBO's "The Buzz"

HBO recently starting airing the following clip on the network's "The Buzz," which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of their upcoming shows, including a first peek at Boardwalk Empire.



In addition to the airing of this video, there have also been reports that filming of the episodes is starting up within the next couple of weeks. All great news for those of us looking forward to the series. I also have to say that I'm excited about Treme starting up in the spring.

"A Boardwalk Story" Released From Publisher of "Boardwalk Empire"

Plexus Publishing, Inc. recently released a book called "A Boardwalk Story", by J. Louis Yampolsky. The novel is set in Atlantic City in the years just prior to the start of World War II. It's a coming-of-age story of a young man set in the backdrop of a town and a time that is unique in history.

Plexus Publishing, Inc. is well known for publishing books about or set in, the New Jersey and Philadelphia area, including "Boardwalk Empire". This new novel, written by a Philadelphia resident and set at the "Jersey Shore" has ties to both areas.

As a Plexus Publishing employee, I am obviously a biased reader, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite books that we have ever published. And if you don't believe me check out the review on "Reading the Past" or the reviews at Amazon.com. Good reading!

Interview with Michael Stuhlbarg about Boardwalk Empire

I just came across a nice interview with Michael Stuhlbarg at collider.com. Stuhlbarg is playing Arnold Rothstein, the Jewish gangster who was possibly responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. The interview talks a little about the upcoming shooting schedule. Stuhlbarg mentions that shooting on the series order of 11 episodes will start back up in October and end in December or January. He also mentions a possible fall 2010 series premiere, which agrees with a lot of the current speculation.

HBO Orders 11 Episodes of Boardwalk Empire

It was expected, but HBO officially gave the greenlight on Boardwalk Empire yesterday. They ordered 11 episodes of the series to make a total of 12 hours for the first season of the show. Here are some news and notes that came out of the press generated yesterday.

• Variety.com and a number of other sources confirmed some earlier reports that Steve Buscemi's character will be named Nucky Thompson (not Nucky Johnson). It's certainly a slight change, but one that I guess needed to be done for legal reasons, since they are fictionalizing a real-life figure.
• Entertainment Weekly (among others) reported that it would be a 2010 premiere for the series. No real factual information on the likely time frame in 2010. However, Broadcasting & Cable reported the following, "Boardwalk will likely debut in fall 2010. Among the shows already on tap for the network, HBO slated new drama Treme to debut alongside epic miniseries The Pacific in the spring. This summer’s original programming lineup is then expected to return intact, before leading into an autumn lineup including Boardwalk." That's a similar logic to what I had mentioned in my previous post.
• There was some speculation in a couple of reports that Scorsese might be on board to direct a future episode or two, in addition to the pilot he's already directed.
• The label "The Next Sopranos" keeps popping up in the news reports about Boardwalk Empire. Obviously, even with the recent successes of True Blood and Entourage everyone is still waiting for HBO's next HUGE thing (no, I'm not talking about Hung). That and the fact that this series is based in New Jersey and about organized crime makes it a natural label. It's amazing that this series is generating that type of buzz, even prior to the series being produced, and perhaps a year from the premiere.