American Gigolo Trailer: Jon Bernthal Is Irresistible In This Erotic Thriller Series
The 1980 Richard Gere film "American Gigolo" is getting the reimagination treatment with a new Showtime series of the same name. Well, reimagination might not be completely accurate, as it seems like this series is a continuation of the Paul Schrader flick, but with Jon Bernthal's sexy self as the hunksicle supreme, Julian Kaye. The original film saw Julian as a male sex worker who was accused of murder and sent away to prison, and the series seems to be picking up right where the film left off, with Julian out of prison and trying to get back into his old scene. There's only one problem, someone framed him for a murder he didn't commit, and Julian is hellbent on figuring out who put him away, and why they did it. The first teaser trailer gave little snippets of what we could expect and a few alluring shots of Bernthal's chiseled abs, but yesterday Showtime teased the arrival of the show's official trailer by delivering what is essentially a thirsty fancam of Bernthal. They knew exactly what they were doing with this tweet!
Jon Bernthal. You. #AmericanGigolo Official Trailer. Tomorrow. It’s a date? pic.twitter.com/A48khLf9F5
— SHOWTIME (@Showtime) July 13, 2022
"It's hard to believe it's been more than 40 years since the film release of 'American Gigolo' and now we have the chance to continue the story of 'American Gigolo' as a TV series," executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer said to Entertainment Weekly. "Expect heightened mystery, danger, and desires as Jon Bernthal takes the movie's iconic character on a contemporary, exhilarating journey."
American Gigolo trailer
In addition to Bernthal, "American Gigolo" also stars Gretchen Mol, Rosie O'Donnell, Lizzie Brocheré, Gabriel LaBelle, Leland Orser, and appearances from Wayne Brady and Laura Liguori. The 1980s loved making films about full-service sex work, but the language and public knowledge about the industry were lacking at the time. Now that we seem to be in a full-swing revival of erotic thrillers (THANK F***!) it'll be fascinating to see how "American Gigolo" holds its own in a culture where it's not unheard of or a cause for social banishment if a person makes a living on OnlyFans.
The series was originally conceived as a project for Jerry Bruckheimer and Neil Labute about 8 years ago, before David Hollander ("The Guardian," "Heartland," "Ray Donovan") stepped in as showrunner and director of the pilot episode. Unfortunately, Hollander left the project in April 2022, with David Bar Katz ("Ray Donovan," "John Leguizamo: Freak," "House of Buggin'") stepping in as showrunner. Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, and KristieAnne Reed served as executive producers, with Bernthal producing in addition to his leading performance.
"American Gigolo" debuts Friday, September 9, 2022 on streaming and on demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers, before making its on-air debut on September 11, 2022 on SHOWTIME. New episodes will continue to drop every Friday via streaming and on-demand platforms before appearing on air Sunday night.