Yes, Variety says Showtime is developing a comedy project to star Alan Cumming, as my old pal, restaurateur Florent Morellet. Florent is set in the mid-1980s against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis. Making use of an old diner in the Meatpacking District, Restaurant Florent drew a broad range of clientele, from cops to club kids to activists. The 24-hour eatery helped revitalize the area and was meeting place for LGBT rights and AIDS activists. Morellet was open about his own HIV-positive status, even posting his T-cell counts on a board with the restaurant’s daily specials.
Today I live around the corner from Florent and it’s in the shadow of the new Whitney museum. New restaurants have tried to open and succeed, but so far none has. Florent left when the rent was raised a stratospheric amount. I said to him once, since they closed, that space seems to be cursed. Florent responded;
“Well…”
Back in the day, this was where you went for dinner before clubs or for a bite after they had closed at 4-5 AM, as well as weekends for brunch. Everyone complains about what NYC has lost, and it HAS been a lot, but Florent is one of the few things I truly miss. It was always a scene –the good kind.
Cumming will serve as a producer and Morellet is on board to help guide the half-hour series. An earlier version of the project was in development last year at SundanceTV.
(via Variety)
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