The internet is buzzing with the news that former HBO exec Chris Albrecht has acquired the US rights to Underbelly and is remaking the show for cable channel Starz.

Apparently Albrecht, who took over the reigns at Starz in December 2009, has made the remake top priority for the channel.

As Albrecht was responsible for launching The Sopranos on HBO in the '90s, many websites are drawing comparisons between the two mob dramas and concluding that Albrecht is trying to replicate the success of hit HBO series on the smaller Starz network.

New York Magazine's Vulture blog broke the story yesterday:

"Last February, when DirecTV’s The101 quietly began airing repeats of a gritty, R-rated Australian crime drama called Underbelly, the satellite network promoted the show as Oz's "real-life Sopranos." So it seems appropriate that the TV executive who launched that seminal HBO mob hit now plans to remake Underbelly for U.S. audiences."

It will be interesting to see how they replicate such a Melbourne centric show for a US audience. Vulture had this to say:

"Since the show is based on real events that took place in Australia starting in the seventies, Starz can't simply film the original scripts using American actors. But the network is currently researching various American crime families that they can build effective story arcs around ... just as long as the clans aren't from New York or New Jersey, which would invite calls of Sopranos copycatting."

And it seems that audiences won't have to wait long to see the results.

"Assuming the right real-life inspiration can be found quickly, a script could be ready well before the end of the year. If Albrecht likes what he sees on the page, insiders say he's prepared to eschew the usual pilot stage for Underbelly and go straight to series."

Our vote? Throw Russell Crowe a bottle of bleach and a few hot dogs and get him to play the American version of Carl Williams.



(Story via The A.V. Club. Thanks to Doug for the tip).