Wednesday December 31, 07:46 PM

Michael Pitt lands a lead in Scorsese's HBO pilot

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Funny Games" villain Michael Pitt is in final negotiations to join Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire," Martin Scorsese's drama pilot for HBO.

The project is based on Nelson Johnson's book, which chronicles the 1920s origins of Atlantic City, N.J. Scorsese will direct from an adaptation by Terrence Winter.

Buscemi plays a cunning businessman who runs a liquor distribution ring at the onset of Prohibition, while Pitt plays a ruthless flunky.

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald ("Trainspotting") was previously cast as a smart Irish immigrant who married the wrong man to get out of her parents' house.

Pitt, who had a recurring role on "Dawson's Creek," also starred in the feature films "The Dreamers" and "Last Days." He was last in theaters with the home-invasion horror "Funny Games," playing a callous murderer.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter