Dustin Hoffman & Michael Mann Team for HBO's 'Luck'

Screen Rant

By Niall Browne

Published Mar 2, 2010

Dustin Hoffman to star in HBO pilot 'Luck' for director Michael Mann.

After 40 years being a star on the big screen, Dustin Hoffman is now about to become a star on television. The two-time Oscar-winning actor has signed on to star in the pilot Luck for director Michael Mann.

Mann will direct, and Hoffman will star in the David Milch scripted show (alongside Mann favorite Dennis Farina), which focuses on gambling and horse racing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“Luck centers on an intelligent, intuitive tough man (Hoffman) who always has been involved with gambling, from bookmaking and money laundering to casino operations.

Recently released from prison after four years, he teams with Gus Economou (Farina), his longtime chauffeur and muscle, to craft a complex plan involving the track. They recruit Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), a successful trainer with a sordid reputation.”

While it’s a bit sad to see an actor of Hoffman’s stature (no pun intended) moving to the small screen, television is now a good place to find intelligent drama and solid characterization. It’ll offer Hoffman a strong role (something that he has been lacking in recent years) and Michael Mann’s involvement would indicate that the series will have a grittiness that only cable would be able to handle.

Farina is no slouch in the acting stakes either. Since Mann discovered him on Thief (he was a police consultant) the actor has given scorching support in films such as Out of Sight, Get Shorty and Manhunter.

In the past Mann has been responsible for some great television including the 1980s classic Miami Vice and the underrated Las Vegas set drama Crime Story (also starring Farina), which you really have to check out on DVD if you haven’t seen it. Having said that, I felt that Mann's last big screen effort, Public Enemies, was a lackluster effort, with poor pacing and bad digital cinematography.

Hoffman is one of the few actors that I can watch in anything – he almost made Billy Bathgate bearable, so you can be sure that I’ll be checking out Luck when it hits.