Robert De Niro is slated to star in “Bobby Meritorius,” a new crime drama in the works at Paramount+.
The series comes from Paramount Television Studios, which made a commitment to develop the show in a competitive situation. In addition to De Niro, the show is executive produced by writer Billy Ray, Tribeca Productions’ Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh, former U.S. attorney in the SDNY office Preet Bahara and Peter Gethers.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope,” the show’s official logline states. “But now an informant in SDNY’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando is poised to tear this storied institution apart. Only one man can stop him, a fabled ex-cop-turned prosecutor affectionately known as Bobby Meritorious. The battle between these two giants is a fight for justice itself.”
Ray is best known for writing, directing and executive producing Showtime’s “The Comey Rule,” which had the biggest debut of any limited series in that network’s history. On the film side, he wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for “Captain Phillips,” for which he won the WGA award. Ray’s films as writer, co-writer, or writer-director include “The Hunger Games,” “Richard Jewell,” “Shattered Glass” and “Breach.”
The project is slated to be De Niro’s second leading role in a TV series, following Netflix’s six-episode thriller “Zero Day.”
In addition to his upcoming work in television, the two-time Academy Award winner is slated to appear in the films “Wise Guys”, for director Barry Levinson, “About My Father” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” for Martin Scorsese, which will mark their tenth collaboration.
De Niro’s past credits include “The Godfather, Part II,” “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Awakenings,” “Cape Fear,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” “The King of Comedy,” “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “Midnight Run,” “Heat,” “Analyze This,” “Jackie Brown,” and “A Bronx Tale,” which he also directed.
