The Gentlemen, an action-comedy focused on an American ex-pat (played by Matthew McConaughey) who builds a cannabis empire in London and then tries to sell the business, is getting remade for television, reports Deadline.
Guy Ritchie, who wrote and directed the film, will also be writing and directing the TV adaptation.
“Miramax Television is thrilled to break new creative ground in our partnership with Guy Ritchie on The Gentlemen,” said Marc Helwig, Miramax’s head of worldwide television. “One of the most distinctive and prolific filmmakers working today and someone whose creativity I have admired for many years, we couldn’t be more excited to bring the cinematic journey of The Gentlemen forth into the realm of global premium television.”
The film, which was released in January of this year, grossed more than US$115 million worldwide. McConaughey plays the role of Mickey Pearson, an American millionaire who uses an auto body business, the aptly named THC Wheels, as a front for his cannabis business.
Gemma Jackson, the film’s set designer, told Hollywood Reporter that making the weed look real was one of the film’s biggest obstacles.
“We set up workshops and had schools of people learning how to make fake cannabis. It was a huge operation,” she said. Eventually, they made 365 fake plants and then used a green screen to add some volume to the grow. Jackson also kept a plant as a keepsake.
“I’ve still got one on my dining room table and when people come round, they’ll sometimes give me a second glance, and my husband will say, ‘Don’t say a word,’” she said.
The film also received a promotional boost from Zach “Jesushands” Fernandez, who created a promo poster made from cannabis plants.
Fernandez made headlines in 2017 when he and his ex-wife converted the iconic Mount Lee Hollywood sign to read Hollyweed.
The couple reportedly spent about three hours making the transformation, using a system of ropes and ladders to access the sign, and then transformed it with fabric coverings.
“It was something to smile and laugh out loud about,” Fernandez told Buzzfeed. He was later charged with misdemeanour trespassing.