James Mangold may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when it comes to contemporary auteur filmmakers, but it should be. One look at his resume should impress even the most casual filmgoers. Millennium-era cult classics like Girl, Interrupted and Identity were mainstays at video stores and on premium movie networks. Mangold brought the Man in Black to life with the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, offered a tight action/comedy with Knight & Day, and solidified his Western skills with the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. He’s best known today for his Wolverine movies and being the only director not named “Spielberg” to direct an Indiana Jones film.
His next move will be to revisit his 1997 crime thriller Cop Land, per Deadline, which had a stacked cast of Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, and Michael Rapaport. The film chronicles the struggle between a New Jersey sheriff who learns about NYPD officers living outside the city to operate not only outside the law but outside of internal affairs jurisdiction. Mangold is drawing on this ’90s crooked cop narrative to launch a series where he will co-write, direct, and executive produce for Paramount Television and Miramax Television. Sharing writing and producing duties is Robert Levine (Being Mary Tyler Moore), who will also be the showrunner.
Mangold signed a production deal with Paramount just after the merger with Skydance. Given the gritty nature of Cop Land as well as the slick and stylish appearance of his recent work, let’s hope for an irresistible cop drama in the vein of The Shield (the FX drama that revolutionized the possibilities of cable television). Mangold’s 1997 film has a 75% critic approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes with the audience landing slightly below at 67%.
Mangold has had a range of intriguing projects, including a version of Swamp Thing and a Star Wars script, coming off the success of Logan and Ford v. Ferarri. The filmmaker has become highly desired in recent years, attention that’s beyond justified. The Cop Land series has big potential already, and with a resume like this, Mangold is setting himself up to welcome a new chapter of his career. With Taylor Sheridan leaving Paramount in the coming years, bringing in a major talent like Mangold bodes well for the streamer’s future. Additional Paramount Television deals include a partnership with the Duffer Brothers, who are coming off an epic run at Netflix with Stranger Things.
While Merger Mania leaves many questions about the future of Hollywood in 2026, things are looking good at Paramount+ right now.
- Birthdate
-
December 16, 1963
- Birthplace
-
New York City, New York, USA
- Birthname
-
James Allen Mangold
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
