J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man franchise) is set to lead The Westies, a new crime drama series from MGM+, currently in production. The series is based on the true story of the infamous New York City gang with the same name.
The official series description reads:
“The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.”
Simmons will portray Eamon Sweeney, “the charismatic but ruthless leader of The Westies, whose old-school charm and neighborhood loyalty mask fierce criminal ambition and calculated brutality.”
Titus Welliver (Bosch) joins the cast as Glenn Keenan, a troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies. Caught between his loyalty to the law and his love for his son, Glenn finds himself in a clash with Eamon. Meanwhile, Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark, The Gilded Age) will play Birdie Polk, an FBI special agent determined to bring down the Irish and Italian mobs.The Westies is created by Chris Brancato (Godfather of Harlem) and Michael Panes (We Bought a Zoo). The eight-episode series begins production this July in Toronto.
