HBO moves forward with Milch racing-theme series

[Kasept]

David Milch, who as a horse owner won the Breeders' Cup Mile with Val Royal, has been greenlighted by HBO for the series 'Luck'. Milch is best known for 'Deadwood' and 'Hill Street Blues', and has wanted to do a racetrack story project for many years. I met him in November, and my ATR associate John Perrotta has been working as a script consultant for 6 months on the pilot and early episodes. It will film at Santa Anita. Milch will visit ATR today or tomorrow, and we'll have a lot of association with the project moving forward. Should be a lot of fun and another plus for fans hungry for racing entertainment.




http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=14&cs=1

Mann, Milch in 'Luck' with HBO
Mann to direct the hourlong pilot from 'Deadwood' scribe
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Michael Mann is in talks to direct "Luck," an hourlong HBO series pilot about horse racing culture created by David Milch.
Milch, who wrote the series pilot, last brought "John From Cincinnati" and "Deadwood" to HBO. Milch will be exec producer, along with former HBO programming topper Carolyn Strauss and Mann. The plan is to shoot in April, most likely at Santa Anita Race Track.

Getting to the starting gate is a major achievement for Milch, who has seen horse racing from every angle, including owning close to 100 horses and winning several Breeders' Cup races.

"The pilot is about a bunch of intersecting lives in the world of horse racing," Milch told Daily Variety. "It's a subject which has engaged and some might say has compelled me for 50 years. I've joked that if I just can make $25 million on this show, I'll be even on research expenses. I find it as complicated and engaging a special world as any I've ever encountered, not only in what happens in the clubhouse and the grandstand, but also on the backside of the track, where the training is done and where they house the horses."