This is Us star Milo Ventimiglia is all set to headline the upcoming cop drama American Blue for HBO Max. It is set to be directed by noted director David Ayer.
The official logline for American Blue reads, "Native son Brian ‘Milk’ Milkovich (Ventimiglia) returns to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, to rescue a beleaguered police force while seeking redemption of his own.” Milk is described as “a quietly determined, natural-born leader hoping to find a second chance in the place he left behind." Milk is described as a quiet and determined leader who is hoping for a second chance in the place he left behind.
Written by Jeremy Carver, the one-hour drama has him also serving as the executive producer along with Brian Udovich and Neil Reynolds. Besides acting, Vetimiglia is also the co-executive producer while his producing partner Russ Cundiff backs the project.
American Blue is one of two HBO Max pilot projects—alongside the family drama How To Survive Without Me—being developed using the episode-heavy format pioneered by the streamer’s Emmy-winning series The Pitt, which features seasons running beyond 15 episodes.
Talking about American Blue, HBO Max’s head of original programming Sarah Aubrey said in a statement that it will "take audiences inside a gritty and authentic police drama, reflecting the myriad challenges in policing today."
"As with The Pitt, our goal of longer seasons will allow viewers to sink deeply into this world across multiple episodes and to return to it on an annual basis. We can’t wait for Jeremy Carver’s vision for American Blue to come to life with Milo Ventimiglia in the lead role and David Ayer directing our pilot," she added.
Ventimiglia is well known for his character Jack Pearson in NBC's critically-acclaimed series This is Us which ran from 2016-2022. His other screen credits include Heroes and Gilmore Girls. Ayer has directed popular films like Suicide Squad (2016) and Fury (2014). This is the filmmaker's second time as a director on TV after he helmed the pilot and second episode of the 2020 Fox police drama series Deputy. A Working Man and The Beekeeper are his recent credits on screen.