*Courtesy of Christopher Polk / Getty Images.*

Milo Ventimiglia (‘This Is Us’) has signed on to headline ‘American Blue,’ a gritty cop drama pilot for HBO Max, created by former ‘Supernatural’ showrunner Jeremy Carver, part of his overall deal with Warner Bros TV. David Ayer (‘Fury’) is set to direct the pilot.

Written by Carver, ‘American Blue’ follows Brian “Milk” Milkovich (Ventimiglia), a hometown kid turned prodigal son who returns to Joliet, Illinois, to help salvage a police department on the brink—and maybe save himself in the process. Milk is described as a quiet force: a natural leader carrying old scars, chasing redemption in the very place he left behind.

Ventimiglia also takes on a co-executive producer role, with his longtime collaborator Russ Cundiff.

Sarah Aubrey, Head of Max Original Programming, emphasized that the series is designed for longer seasons (15+ episodes) giving viewers time to fully immerse themselves in the world, which is set for annual releases.

Ventimiglia is best known for his Emmy-nominated turn as Jack Pearson on ‘This Is Us’ and has also starred in ‘Heroes’ and ‘Gilmore Girls.’ Up next, he’ll appear in Netflix’s upcoming Harlan Coben adaptation ‘I Will Find You.’

For Ayer, ‘American Blue’ marks just his second foray into television directing, following the pilot and second episode of Fox’s 2020 police drama ‘Deputy.’ His recent film credits include ‘A Working Man’ and ‘The Beekeeper.’

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