‘Entourage meets The Wireâ is how Doug Ellin is describing his latest venture, Da Brick. Set in present day Newark, New Jersey, or âBrick Cityâ as itâs known, and inspired by Mike Tysonâs youth, Ellin sees the show as a contemporary study into what itâs like for a black man growing up in seemingly race-tolerant times.
Ellin and production partner Jim Lefkowitz plan to make the show through their own company, with the help of Spike Lee (Malcom X, 25th Hour) and writer, John Ridley â who have recently been working together on a film about the LA riots â oh, and of course Mike Tyson is exec producing. The idea came out of a conversation Tyson had with Ellin while on set of Entourage (a show based on the life of Mark Wahlberg), âThat’s when Mike asked me, why not do with my life what we did with Mark’s life. The initial idea was ‘Entourage meets The Wire‘, an edgy story about an up-and-coming boxer and his crew that is much more dramatic than Entourage,â? Ellin told Deadline.
While firmly in the development stage, with these names behind Da Brick will undoubtedly be another huge hit for HBO, who are currently character casting for the showâs lead.
