Sarah Bolger to star in Irish-American crime series from the creator of Narcos
The Westies is described as a gritty and kinetic crime drama that centres on New York City's infamously violent Irish gang of the same name.
According to Variety, 34-year-old Bolger will star as IRA operative Bridget Walsh.
She will link up with Oscar winner JK Simmons, who will lead the cast as crime boss Eamonn Sweeney.
The new series from MGM+ is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies' home turf in Hell's Kitchen promises a financial windfall.
"Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies' legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente," reads the synopsis.
"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI's ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia." 'Passion project'
Bolger rose to fame after starring in Jim Sheridan's 2002 film, In America, and later played Mary Tudor in the BBC series, The Tudors.
She also had a main role in the recent Sons of Anarchy spin-off, Mayans MC.
Brancato, who will serve as executive producer and showrunner, said the series had been a 'passion project' of his for some time.
"This is a story about ambition, loyalty, and power, set against the backdrop of 1980s New York," he added.
"I'm grateful to be working again alongside my collaborators Michael Panes (co-creator) and most especially with Michael Wright (Head of MGM+) and the entire MGM+ team."
The eight-episode series marks his third collaboration with MGM+ following the success of the critically-acclaimed Godfather of Harlem and the crime thriller Hotel Cocaine.
He previously created the Netflix series Narcos and its spin-off Narcos: Mexico.
The Westies went into production this month in Toronto, Canada and will premiere on MGM+.
See More: Sarah Bolger, The Westies
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