Showtime Picks Up New Drama Pilot Executive Produced by Ben Affleck & Matt Damon

Today, Showtime announced a new one-hour drama pilot, CITY ON A HILL, to be executive produced by Academy Award® winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, written by Chuck MacLean (Boston Strangler), and directed and executive produced by Gavin O'Connor (The Accountant, Warrior). The project will also be executive produced by James Mangold (Logan, Walk The Line) and Emmy nominee Jennifer Todd (Jason Bourne, Memento) for Pearl Street Films. Produced by SHOWTIME, CITY ON A HILL is based on an original idea by Affleck and MacLean. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime Networks Inc.

In the early 90s, Boston was rife with violent criminals emboldened by local law enforcement agencies in which corruption and racism was the norm, and then it all suddenly changed. CITY ON A HILL is a fictional account of what was called the "Boston Miracle." At the center is an African-American District Attorney who comes in from Brooklyn advocating change and the unlikely alliance he forms with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran who is invested in maintaining the status quo. Together they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to encompass and eventually upend Boston's city-wide criminal justice system.

"CITY ON A HILL is a gritty thriller about severe corruption and gangs, the type of series that takes you back and centers around the crime-riddled streets of Boston in the early 90s," said Todd. "We are excited to be a part of this project with Showtime and to partner with Gavin again."

O'Connor noted, "Chuck wrote a pressure-cooker of a script steeped in the tribal codes of a Shakespeare play - family, blood, betrayal, honor. His take on the TIES THAT BIND is handled with a deep honesty and insight. I see the show as a brawling thriller - and an intimate family drama - played out on the rough streets of Boston."

About Showtime Networks Inc.:
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers Showtime ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network's authentication service Showtime ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. Showtime is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to Showtime via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Channels. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a Pay-Per-View basis through Showtime PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

About Pearl Street Films: Pearl Street Films is a production company founded in 2012 by Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Emmy Award nominated producer Jennifer Todd serves as President. Films produced or co-produced include MANCHESTER BY THE SEA starring Academy Award winning actor Casey Affleck, LIVE BY NIGHT, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, and JASON BOURNE, starring Matt Damon. Pearl Street Films also released the television series INCORPORATED and PROJECT GREENLIGHT, both executive produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jennifer Todd.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

Don't Miss a TV News Story Sign up for all the news on the Winter season, discounts & more...