Will Boardwalk Empire knock out Game of Thrones?

I made a post a couple weeks ago about the competition at HBO. There were a number of pilots, most of which didn’t seem like they would directly affect HBO’s decision on whether or not to pick up Game of Thrones. The one that stood out as a project that may be in direct competition with Thrones was Boardwalk Empire. This pilot has a lot of big names attached. It is written by Terrence Winter, who was a writer/producer on The Sopranos, and produced by Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg. Now we get word through The Hollywood Reporter that Scorsese will be directing the pilot and that they may be casting two big-name actors.

Steve Buscemi is in talks to star in “Boardwalk Empire,” Martin Scorsese’s drama pilot for HBO.

Kelly Macdonald also is in talks for a co-starring role in the project.

Written by Terrence Winter and to be directed by Scorsese, “Empire” is based on Nelson Johnson’s book, which chronicles the 1920s origins of Atlantic City, N.J.

Winter Is Coming: I am worried that this series is in direct competition with Game of Thrones. It is a period piece, a drama, most likely with a large budget. HBO would be pretty crazy to pass up a series like this, with this many big names attached. In addition, it will be much easier to market a show like this than it would be to market Game of Thrones. If HBO does do the obvious thing here and pick up this series, would that leave Game of Thrones out in the cold? It very well could. On the other hand, HBO may decide to pick up both of these projects but Benioff and Weiss are going to have to come up with an excellent pilot.

• Published on 12/02/2008 at 4:58 PM CDT
• Last updated on 12/02/2008 at 4:58 PM CDT