Twenty years ago, a syndicated revival of The Untouchables ran for only two seasons. But there may soon be more than one Eliot Ness drama on TV.
Deadline is reporting that WGN America is developing a “Ness,” a new drama project that follows Eliot Ness after he took down Al Capone. That particular time in Ness’ life has been frequently adapted in Hollywood, most notably in the original TV incarnation of “The Untouchables” with Robert Stack as Ness and the 1987 feature film of the same name with Kevin Costner (pictured above) as Ness.
WGN America’s “Ness” is based upon the upcoming biography novel, Eliot Ness: The Rise And Fall Of An American Hero; which was written by Douglas Perry. The proposed TV series will follow Ness as he took charge of Cleveland’s Police and Fire Departments while battling corruption in the ranks, the mob and the infamous Torso killer; who may have been one of America’s first serial killers.
Sony Pictures TV and Davis Entertainment are producing “Ness,” with novelist Dennis Lehane (Gone, Baby, Gone) writing the pilot script and Michael Dinner (“Justified”) slated to direct the pilot. But “Ness” isn’t the only Eliot Ness drama poised to reach TV. Sony TV is also developing a miniseries for NBC called “Nemesis;” which will focus on Ness’ attempts to catch the Torso killer.
