IMTA Colleague’s New Drama is a Family Affair
IMTA Press Release
February 26, 2007
Mid-season premiere on Monday, February 26, 10pm ET
“I'm basically telling a tragedy…Hopefully a funny tragedy.” - Co-Creator Paul Haggis
In creating the new NBC drama, “The Black Donnellys,” Academy Award winners Paul Haggis and longtime IMTA colleague Bobby Moresco (“Crash,” “Million Dollar Baby”) have developed a story of four brothers involved in organized crime in New York that is both loosely based on Moresco’s background and also references hometown local history of an infamous feud from the late 1800s for the Canadian-born Haggis.
This gritty new crime-drama series follows the four Donnelly brothers and their sudden involvement in organized crime. There is nothing these four Irish brothers wouldn’t do to protect each other, including lying, cheating, stealing...whatever it takes. The ensemble cast includes Jonathan Tucker (“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), Billy Lush (“Huff”), Thomas Guiry (“Mystic River”), Michael Stahl-David (“Uncle Nino”), Keith Nobbs (“25th Hour”), Olivia Wilde (“The O.C.”) and Kirk Acevedo (“Oz”). Moresco and Haggis, who directed the pilot, are the creators, executive producers and co-writers.
In “The Black Donnellys” pilot episode, one brother’s plan to help another out of gambling debt with a truckload of stolen designer shirts backfires, forcing the two to kidnap a local mob boss's nephew. When the boss’s right-hand-man decides to take the matters into his own hands, it's up to the brainy one of the Donnelly brothers to choose between fighting for his family and life as an honest man.
Also part of “The Black Donnellys” creative team is Moresco’s daughter, veteran IMTA staff member Amanda Moresco, who has written scripts for two upcoming episodes, “All of Us Are in the Gutter” and “Wasn’t That Enough?” Amanda is no stranger to working with her father; she was First Assistant Director on “Crash,” had a small role in last year’s feature “10th and Wolf”—written and directed by Bobby—and wrote the script for “A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper,” a modern day telling of the Mark Twain classic that stars twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse from Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” and which Bobby recently joined as Executive Producer.
For nearly 15 years, Bobby has been conducting acting workshops and looking for new talent at IMTA conventions with his manager, Al Onorato, while Amanda has steadfastly worked behind the scenes. IMTA congratulates them both and wishes them continued success.