Producer Says TV Show Based on The Departed Is in the Works

Leonardo DiCaprio Photo by Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

It may be time to add The Departed to the ever growing list of upcoming television shows based on popular movies.

Producer Roy Lee recently revealed to Collider that director Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime drama could soon be heading to the small screen, although it likely won’t involve any of the original cast or even Boston.

Since The Departed is based on the Chinese film series Infernal Affairs, Lee said that the idea of a follow-up has been floating around for some time. Writer William Monahan has even worked on a concept for a sequel, although the prospects of another film always seemed dim.

However, thanks to the successful transition of the Coen brother’s Fargo from the big to the small screen, Lee says there’s a chance that something similar may happen with The Departed.

“The Departed as a concept is amazing,” Lee told Collider. “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.”

He added that, although it would be very different from the movie, it would be “essentially The Departed as a TV series.”

It’s probably a good idea to have the show feature a new cast and be set in a different city, as it’s going to be extremely hard to book Leonardo DiCaprio or Matt Damon after all of their award season success.

Check out more from Lee’s chat with Collider here.