Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell map Barbary Coast

Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson have all signed up to a new TV drama from Entertainment One prodco The Mark Gordon Company (Grey’s Anatomy).

Gibson will direct, co-write and have a recurring guest star role in The Barbary Coast, with Russell and Hudson starring.

Mark Gordon’s development, production and financing studio is helming the project, which does not yet have a broadcaster attached but will be sold globally by eOne.

The series will be in part based on Herbert Asbury’s book, The Barbary Coast, with Bruce Davey, Oliver Hudson, Wyatt Russell and Rick Nicita executive producing alongside Gibson, Russell, and Hudson.

The Barbary Coast is set at the beginning of the Gold Rush in the US in 1849 and follows the criminal underworld that sprung up in the growing city of San Francisco, California.

“Most people don’t know the scandalous history behind San Francisco, and The Barbary Coast offers a rich portrayal of a period when success was often attained through illicit and brutal means,” said Mark Gordon, who sold a majority share of his production company to eOne last year.

Gibson, a controversial but successful figure in Hollywood, has rarely made forays into television and is known for feature films such as Lethal Weapon and What Women Want.

Russell has starred in movies such as Escape From New York, The Hateful Eight and Big Trouble in Little China, while Hudson is known for Almost Famous and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Mark Gordon and eOne are working with another high-profile actor, Anne Hathaway, to adapt Jennifer Steil novel The Ambassador’s Wife for TV.