HBO's "Luck" Dustin Hoffman + Michael Mann + David Milch

[WyldeMan45]

Milch + Mann + Hoffman = Awesome?

I was already intrigued by HBO's "Luck" due to the presence of "Deadwood" creator David Milch (one of the smartest and most talented writers to ever work in TV), a subject (horse racing) Milch is passionate about, and then the presence of Michael Mann as a producer and director of the pilot. (Like Martin Scorsese on "Boardwalk Empire," I don't know how much Mann will be involved past the pilot, but it's gonna be a damn good-looking first episode.)

And late yesterday came news that Dustin Hoffman is going to play the lead, which is one of the biggest casting coups HBO has ever had. It's been a while since he was able to successfully carry a movie, but the guy is still a two-time Oscar winner, portrayer of some of the most iconic movie roles of the 20th century, and still a great actor when he's motivated to do so. (He's also still a big enough name that, as "Parks and Recreation" producer Mike Schur tweeted last night, Hoffman would more or less lock up the Emmy for lead actor in a drama for however long he'd be on the show.

Dustin Hoffman is set to play Ace Bernstein, an autodidact caught up in gambling on the horse-racing circuit who recently completed a four-year prison sentence. Dennis Farina has also been cast as Bernstein’s driver, Gus Economou, a man of “dominant volatility” who is devoted to his boss. John Ortiz rounds out the cast as Turo Escalante, a Peruvian trainer based on Julio Canani.