HBO sets premiere date for James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s "Deuce"

PanARMENIAN.Net - HBO has set a premiere date of its upcoming porn drama "The Deuce". Starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the eight-episode first season is set to kick off on September 10 at 9 P.M. on the network, AceShowbiz said.

Titled after the local slang for New York's fabled 42nd Street, "The Deuce" stars the "Why Him?" actor in a dual role, Vincent and his twin brother Frankie Martino. Set in the early 1970s, the series follows the Martinos and their journey to build the first legalized porn industry in New York. Maggie, meanwhile, plays Candy, a Times Square sex worker with an entrepreneurial spirit who is drawn into the emerging pornography industry.

"The Deuce" will also explore the rough-and-tumble world of the sex trade from the moment when both a liberalizing cultural revolution in American sexuality and new legal definitions of obscenity created a billion-dollar industry. The show follows a cast of barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police and nightlife denizens as they swirl through a world of sex, crime, high times and violence.

George Pelecanos and David Simon create the HBO drama as well as executive produce alongside Nina K. Noble and James. James is also set to serve behind the lens for an episode. "Times Square in the 1970s is now chiefly remembered as the ground zero of decadence and depravity, but what's often left out of the picture is that, for many, it was a hotbed of experimentation, adventure and sexual liberation," said George.

In addition to James and Maggie, the show stars Gary Carr, Margarita Levieva, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Dominique Fishback and Emily Meade. The cast also includes Gbenga Akinnagbe, Chris Bauer, Ghris Coy, Natalie Paul and Michael Rispoli.