‘American Gigolo’ Teaser: Jon Bernthal Stars In Showtime’s Modern Update To Paul Schrader’s 1980 Classic

It’s another busy year for Jon Bernthal. Fresh off of HBO‘s “We Own This City” and with Lena Dunham‘s latest, “Sharp Stick” hitting theaters in late July, the actor’s next role is already in the pipeline. And it’s an unexpected one for Bernthal: a 21st-century TV update of Paul Schrader‘s 1980 classic escort drama “American Gigolo.”

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Bernthal takes over for Richard Gere as Julian Kaye in this present-day reimagining that picks up where Schrader’s movie left off. After fifteen years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit, Julian tries to reconnect with old friends, estranged family, and former lovers in modern LA. Meanwhile, a detective hasn’t closed Julian’s case, as both cop and ex-escort search for who framed him. The truth proves more complicated than anyone imagined.

Alongside Bernthal, “American Gigolo” also stars Gretchen Mol, Rosie O’Donnell, Lizzie Brocheré, Gabriel LaBelle, and Leland Orser. Wayne Brady and Laura Ligouri round out the main cast.

Jerry Bruckheimer, a producer for Schrader’s film, has wanted to get “American Gigolo” on TV for a while now. It’s proven a complicated process. After Paramount Television Studios developed the project in 2014, it was finally ordered as a pilot by Showtime in 2020. A ten-episode series order followed in 2021, with “Ray Donovan” producer David Hollander on board. Production halted for a week in April 2022 when Hollander exited the show after an on-set misconduct investigation. David Bar Katz, who worked with Hollander on “Ray Donovan,” took over but left the project in May, citing inexperience in running a show.

How will Bernthal’s take on Julian Kaye measure up to Gere’s legendary performance as the LA escort? Audiences will find out once “American Gigolo” wraps up shooting and gets a release date. Expect a late 2022/early 2023 release for the show, a Showtime exclusive. Watch the teaser below.