Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Working On Showtime Pilot Set In Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are returning to familiar territory for their next project--a pilot for a "gritty thriller about severe corruption and gangs" set in Boston in the 1990s.
The show, titled "City on a Hill," will air on Showtime and tell a fictional story about the so-called "Boston Miracle," a large and unprecedented drop in the city's crime rates.
"In the early 90s, Boston was rife with violent criminals emboldened by local law enforcement agencies in which corruption and racism was the norm, and then it all suddenly changed," reads the Showtime press release about the pilot.
It will follow the partnership between an African-American DA from Brooklyn who comes to Boston to change things, and a corrupt FBI agent--and their battle with a family of armored car robbers.
Damon and Affleck will produce, and Chuck MacLean will write the one-hour pilot.
Gavin O'Connor, who worked with Affleck on "The Accountant," will direct and executive produce.
"Chuck wrote a pressure-cooker of a script steeped in the tribal codes of a Shakespeare play — family, blood, betrayal, honor," said O'Connor. "His take on the ties that bind is handled with a deep honesty and insight. I see the show as a brawling thriller — and an intimate family drama — played out on the rough streets of Boston."
James Mangold and Jennifer Todd will also executive produce.
Showtime is a subsidiary of CBS Corporation.