HBO and Adam Shankman to develop new series focusing on the gay rights movement in the 1960s

Director and Executive Producer Adam Shankman

Hot on the heels of the premiere of HBO's The Normal Heart comes the news that the subscription network has picked up a new series about gay life in New York City's West Village in the 1960s to be directed by Adam Shankman:

Open City is about the gay rights movement and cultural revolution of the 1960s. Set in New York City, the show will explore the relationship between the gay community and the Mafia as it opens a West Village nightclub.

The show will be written by David Kajganich, who penned the upcoming James Franco film, True Story, and directed by Shankman, whose last feature was the film adaptation of Rock of Ages. The series has also recruited Ronnie Lorenzo, one of the original owners of Stonewall Inn, to serve as a consulting producer.

Also in the HBO pipeline are a documentary about Prop 8 (The Case Against 8) and Open, a series that promises to be a "modern exploration of human sexuality."