MGM+’s upcoming crime drama The Westies has made two additions to its cast alongside lead star J.K. Simmons. According to Deadline, Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark) and Titus Welliver (Bosch) are set to join the series.
The Westies is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organized crime gang. Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
Dukes will play Birdie Polk, “the sharp and unflinching Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Gambino Task Force, determined to take down Irish and Italian organized crime”, while Welliver will play Glenn Keenan, “a troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies crew, torn between loyalty to the law and love for his wayward son.”
The Westies is created by Chris Brancato (Narcos) and Michael Panes (Godfather of Harlem). Brancato will serve as showrunner and executive produce. Production is scheduled to begin in July in Toronto.
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