Martin Scorsese's 'Boardwalk Empire' reigns at HBO

HBO will follow the rise of the "Boardwalk Empire" starting next year.

The cable channel has picked up the series about Atlantic City in the early 20th century to premiere sometime in 2010, HBO confirms. The network has ordered 12 episodes, including the Martin Scorsese-directed pilot.

The series stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, a Prohibition-era bootlegger and prominent figure in the Atlantic City of the early 1920s, someone who's described as "equal parts politician and gangster." Kelly Macdonald ("No Country for Old Men"), Michael Pitt ("The Village"), Michael Kenneth Williams ("The Wire"), Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road") and Dabney Coleman also star.

Terence Winter, a writer and producer on "The Sopranos," created the show and will executive produce along with Scorsese, who has pledged to remain involved in the show and may direct another episode. Fellow "Sopranos" alum Tim Van Patten and "Entourage's" Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson are also exec producing.

"Boardwalk Empire" is one of two new drama series HBO has on tap for 2010. The other is "Treme," a New Orleans-set show from "Wire" creator David Simon. The network also has the World War II miniseries "The Pacific" that will likely debut in March.

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