James Franco, David Simon porn series gets picked up by HBO

HBO has picked up The Deuce, starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, to series. The project is the latest from The Wire’s David Simon.

Franco signed on to star in the pilot in August. He will be playing a dual role, starring as the identical twins who set up a pornography empire in 1970s Times Square, long before the area was cleaned up for tourists. Gyllenhaal will star as hooker who sees an opportunity to get in on the porn business.

Deadline reported that the project was picked up on Tuesday. Simon is also working on a Capitol Hill-set drama with journalist Carl Bernstein, which will be filmed after The Deuce’s first season is completed.

Hopefully, production on The Deuce will go as planned, since other recent high-profile HBO projects haven’t been so luck. Westworld’s production has been halted and a David Fincher series was killed after episodes were already filmed.

Simon recently worked with HBO on the miniseries Show Me A Hero, which earned a Golden Globe for Oscar Isaac.