De Niro to Replace James Gandolfini in HBO Drama

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HBO and the producers of a promising new television pilot faced a dilemma: How to replace James Gandolfini, the pilot’s star and probably the person most identified with the pay cable network, to keep the project going after the actor’s sudden death last June.

This week, HBO concluded a deal with the only actor they intended to pursue, Robert De Niro. The Oscar-winning actor has agreed to take over the part played by Mr. Gandolfini in “Criminal Justice,” a gripping crime drama that HBO will resume production on, possibly as soon as January.

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News of the new casting emerged this week, first on the Deadline Hollywood Web site. A senior HBO executive confirmed the details on Thursday, including news that the top network entertainment executives, Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo, had identified Mr. De Niro as their only choice to take over the part.

It will be Mr. De Niro’s first starring role for television. He appeared previously in a television entertainment series (he has been a guest on late-night shows) playing a scene in the Ricky Gervais comedy “Extras.”

Though Mr. De Niro knew Mr. Gandolfini, it was not a question of simply stepping in for him, said Mr. De Niro’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield. Mr. De Niro was impressed with the show’s pilot script.

“Criminal Justice” is being called a mini-series. HBO plans seven hours, so it will not be a continuing series commitment for Mr. De Niro. He will play a lawyer who gets embroiled in a complicated, murky murder case, set in New York. If production starts up in January, the show may be available on HBO next summer.