He’s punished us, he’s owned a city, and now Jon Bernthal is giving fans what they want as the imprisoned sex worker of American Gigolo.
Richard Gere originally played the escort Julian Kaye in Paul Schrader’s 1980 noir, getting framed for a murder he didn’t commit and landing in jail for his troubles. Now freed in the mid-90s, Julian is back on the prowl and seeking the truth: Stan subscribers can enjoy the mystique of American Gigolo season one from September 10.
It’s unknown how much we’ll actually see of Bernthal at work as an escort, since after his surprise exoneration he’s uninterested in the bitter life he left behind. Now, all he wants is to find out why he got sent to jail in the first place, and to reconnect with his lost love Michelle (Gretchen Mol).
Happily we still get some salacious shots of the actor’s abs and sleazy prison ‘stache in the trailer below. How the hell could this actor consider himself a “weird-looking guy”, saying that he “does not possess any kind of sex appeal”? Open your damn eyes, Jon.
A few likeable funny people show up in grittier roles than we’re used to, such as Rosie O’Donnell as the cop keeping track of Julian, and Wayne Brady as his buddy Lorenzo. We’re most excited for the fourth episode of the first season, since it’s directed by queer cult icon Gregg Araki.
The sequel series was initially set to be helmed by Ray Donovan creator David Hollander, but he was dismissed from the project due to investigations of on-set misconduct. Despite that, he’s still behind most of the first season’s scripts, with megaproducer Jerry Bruckheimer involved too.
