Electus, an operating business of IAC [NASDAQ: IAC], has announced a partnership with former crime boss and author Michael Franzese and producers Moshe Diamant (The Black Dahlia, Timecop) and Michael Tadross Jr. (Category 5, LBJ) to create a new scripted series, AMERICAN ROYALTY, a modern spin on the crime genre that takes viewers deep into the dark trenches of the leading mob families.
A new, fresh take on the Mafia genre, American Royalty is a revealing and
UNCOMPROMISING look back at a time when mobsters were bigger than life, often bringing politicians and corporate executives to their knees. The golden age of the mob took place in New York City from the 1950s through the 1980s; nearly every notorious mobster reigned during that time. Based on the true story, Quitting the Mob: How the "Yuppie Don" Left the Mafia and Lived to Tell His Story, American Royalty explores the life of Michael "Yuppie Don" Franzese, a former New York mobster and caporegime of the Colombo crime family who was heavily involved in the gasoline tax rackets in the 1980s.
Born in Brooklyn, Michael Franzese is
THE SON of reputed Colombo underboss John "Sonny" Franzese, who reigned over the crime family's Long Island rackets in the 1960s and was recently released from prison at age 100, the oldest living made man in the federal prison system. American Royalty tells the story of Michael and his father, who were intimately involved in La Cosa Nostra's golden years in New York. Father and son knew all the main players, the rackets, the most intimate family secrets, and American Royalty will reveal more about the Franzeses' former associates and their families then any series, movie or documentary has done before.
American Royalty is a character driven series where familial factions, comprised of ruthless modern day deities, wage unseen wars for power, wealth, and legacy. Michael and Sonny Franzese's story is the catalyst into the illicit world of illegal doings, hidden rings, and the enigmatic family dynamics of the mob.
"American Royalty presents a modern take on a beloved genre, and its unflinching look at life inside the Mafia will captivate viewers around the world," said John Pollak, President of Worldwide Television and Electus International. "The series will be comprised of
TALES spanning decades and generations, using real accounts to tell the story."
"American Royalty is a Mafia version of Game of Thrones, but with an important distinction - everything you see onscreen is true," said Michael Franzese. "You may have seen these legendary figures in documentaries, but never in a scripted series that really explores who they were and what they controlled, as told by one of their own. American Royalty is the real story of the mob's business, activities, players, what they controlled and how eventually they all went down - informed by my own eyewitness accounts, testimonies and personal writings."
After finishing high school, Michael Franzese entered Hofstra University and started a pre-med program, but in October 1975, Franzese decided to quit college to take care of his father and work for the Colombo family. By the 1980s, Franzese had become a caporegime, or captain, of a crew. Since successfully cutting ties with the Mafia, Franzese has publicly renounced organized crime, become a devoted Christian, created a foundation for helping youth, and become a motivational speaker. Franzese has been featured on
48 HOURS and Tom Brokaw's show EXPOSE.
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