Scorsese's 'Boardwalk Empire' Series Picked Up By HBO

Rome. Deadwood. Band of Brothers. From the Earth to the Moon. These are only a few of the fantastic period pieces that HBO has produced in the past and if one things clear, the cable network excels at this type of programming. They can now, potentially, add another series to the above list. HBO just announced that Boardwalk Empire, from Martin Scorsese and starring Steve Buscemi has been picked up as a new series.

The new series takes place in 1920's Atlantic City in the heat of Prohibition and chronicles the rise of the city's boardwalk from a quiet seaside resort to the casino empire it has become today. Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is a cross between a local politician and a bootlegging gangster, and we get to watch how he runs the city through the political and criminal angles. We'll also get to see other popular gangsters from the era make appearances on the show, including Al Capone.

They couldn't have found a better actor for the role of Nucky. The only other recognizable cast members are Dabney Coleman who plays Commodore Kaestner, and possibly Kelly Macdonald who plays Margaret or Billy Smith who some may remember from Brotherhood. Al Capone is played by Stephen Graham.

The series is actually based on a book titled "Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City" by Nelson Johnson. HBO plans to start the new series sometime in 2010.