Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese is preparing to develop his 2002 film Gangs of New York into a television series for Miramax. The film focused on early confrontations between rival gangs in New York in the late 1800s. The series is intended to expand on this, depicting the birth of organized crime in America, and events surrounding gangs at the turn of the century in not only New York, but other cities such as Chicago and New Orleans. 

Of the television project, Scorsese said, “This time and era of America’s history and heritage is rich with characters and stories that we could not fully explore in a two-hour film. A television series allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life.”

Gangs of New York is currently ranked a very respectable #538 on the global Flickchart, but only #9 among Scorsese’s films. The first of Scorsese’s collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio, it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Scorsese and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, but it didn’t win a single one.

Scorsese has had success in television before, executive producing HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and winning an Emmy Award for directing the pilot episode of that series.

via Deadline