Ray Romano is headed for HBO.
The actor, who has spent the past two seasons recurring on NBC’s Parenthood, has boarded the cabler’s untitled rock ‘n’ roll drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
From exec producers Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, George Mastras (Breaking Bad) and Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire), the drama is set in 1970s New York, and explores the drug- and sex-fueled music business as punk and disco were breaking out, all told through the eyes of a record executive trying to resurrect his label and find the next new sound.
Romano, who received multiple pilot offers this past season, will co-star as Zak Yankovich, the close confidante and right-hand man to Richie (Bobby Cannavale), the tough and sharp-witted head of promotions at label American Century who has decades of experience dating back to the dark, mob-infested days of the recording business.
The Men of a Certain Age and Everybody Loves Raymond alum joins a cast that also includes Olivia Wilde, Juno Temple, Max Casella and Jack Quaid.
The drama hails from Boardwalk Empire‘s Winter and Scorsese, the latter of whom will direct and executive produce. Winter and Mastras will pen the script and exec produce; Mastras also will serve as showrunner.
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The project is based on an idea from Rolling Stones frontman Jagger, who conceived the entry as a film first at Disney and then at Paramount. He will exec produce with his Jagged Films partner Victoria Pearman, Scorsese’s manager Rick Yorn and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. The drama marks a reunion for Scorsese, Jagger and Pearman, who collaborated on the 2008 documentary Shine a Light.
Production will likely start in early summer 2014.
Romano is repped by ICM Partners, Conversation Co. and Del Shaw.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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