It looks like we’re getting a new period drama from David Simon, the same guy that gave us The Wire and The Deuce. Simon is currently in talks with Spain’s Mediapro regarding A Dry Run, a new series that will be set during the Spanish Civil War. The show will follow some of Abraham Lincoln’s Battalion through their journey to fight fascism in Spain during the late 1930s. So far, they have the writers on board. The Wire’s George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane have both expressed commitment to work on A Dry Run as head writers. Simon and Mediapro are also currently raising the funds to be able to shoot what will likely be a big budget show. It’s currently conceived to be a 6-hour miniseries that will be shot in both U.S. and Europe locations.
In 1937, members of the Abraham Lincoln and George Washington Battalions arrived in Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Their first battle was in the Jarama Valley during the same year. They will depart Spain 2 years later after experiencing the struggle that the Spanish people endured against fascism. According to Simon, the narrative of the show will be “compelling and narrative,” as is most common with many war-centric shows and films. The underlying topic of fascism versus capitalism is also going to be one of the more prominent subject matters of the show. It’s highly historic given its time frame, yet the political narrative still applies to our time today.
According to Jaume Roures, founder of Mediapro, one of the most exciting parts of A Dry Run is the opportunity to work with someone as great as Simon. Simon’s concepts for the new drama can only be described as extraordinary and painstakingly accurate–something that Simon presses for many of his projects. Simon promotes and creates authenticity in all of his work, and this period piece shouldn’t be an exception. As a matter of fact, Simon has already visited the battle sites where the Abraham Lincoln Battalion fought so many decades ago. So far, the plan is to capture the show in English, which will be the language of most of the main characters, but we do expect Spanish to come up as needed in whatever quantity.
Simon’s realism is one of his greatest assets. He doesn’t like to color the frames in rose tones just to make anyone happy. According to Simon, he will not sell a happy ending unless it is warranted, and he believes that there were no happy endings in 1939. We get it, especially where war-torn countries are involved. And surely, everything just went downhill from there. Simon believes that the Spanish Civil War was “a dry run for the maelstrom to come.” He gives us the origin for his drama’s title, and he also gives us his vision. Where there is war, there is wealth. No words ring truer than these even in our world now. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, and we’re most certainly looking forward to seeing Simon’s genius on screen again.
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