De Niro Reportedly Coming to TV in David O. Russell Series

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Talk about star power.

David O. Russell is prepping a TV series starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Details about the plot are being kept under wraps. There is neither a production company attached nor a network, but CAA — who reps Russell — already has multiple offers for the project sight unseen. Sources say Russell’s camp is looking for a major commitment for the project, which is said to be a limited series, and its high-level cast.

Russell is expected to begin pitching the potential series next week when he returns from vacation. It’s unclear who is hearing the pitch and whether the outlets that have already made offers for the A-list project are from the broadcast, cable, premium or streaming side.

Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan and Megan Ellison are attached to produce the series with Russell at the helm. Insiders caution that the entire package could still fall apart, but given the high-level talent attached, that seems unlikely.

This is the kind of thing that absolutely no one would believed as recently as even 20 years ago. Television was the ugly sister to motion pictures and serious actors simply didn’t slum it on the small screen. All of that is gone now. Movies aren’t quite what they used to be (unless you’re a Marvel or DC Comics fan) and TV is exploding with creativity thanks to the channels.

Nothing is quite like attaching De Niro’s (Julianne Moore’s doesn’t hurt either) name to a project though. That takes television’s credibility to a level even its most ardent fans may not have imagined. That’s why CAA is getting offers for what’s essentially a mystery project at this point.

De Niro has the luxury of “experimenting” with television, obviously. His reputation is secure, he doesn’t need the money, and he is a restless performer who shows no signs of slowing down and needs new challenges. The money will still be bigger for A-list stars in movies (for now), but maybe this will give some of them an interest in trying out TV once in a while.