James Gandolfini died in June, the fate of his HBO miniseries “Criminal Justice” hung in the balance — until now.
Two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro will be taking the lead role as ambulance-chasing New York City attorney who finds himself out of his depth when he takes on a murder case, according to trade reports.
Production is set to start next March on the seven-episode series, which was written by novelist Richard Price (“Clockers”) and based on the BBC drama created by Peter Moffat.
Gandolfini will receive executive producer credit.
Sources say De Niro, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar last year for his role in “The Silver Linings Playbook,” came on board when the producers were looking for an actor who would honor Gandolfini’s memory.
De Niro, 70, has never headlined a TV series in his long career.