What would you get if you combined Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire …..then sprinkled a little bit of Azucar? You’d get the hot new drama from the Starz network entitled, Magic City! Director Mitch Glazer, who just so happens to be a Miami native, was on-hand for a special screening of the pilot episode alongside stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kelly Lynch, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Yul Vazquez and Steven Straight as part of the Miami International Film Festival on Sunday, March 4th, 2012.Cast members arrived in classic Cadillac’s with lead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the hottest one of them all–a red convertible. Speaking of JDM, it cannot go without saying what a humble and handsome man he is in real life. The press line was flooded with media, fans, and autograph hounds alike, and he somehow made time for every single one.
After the screening, Mitch, Jeffrey, Kelly, Dominik, Yul and Steven sat on stage for a special Q&A session. I learned so much about the amazing set and the story behind Mr. Glazer’s passion project.
Magic City kicks-off on New Years Eve, 1958 where we are introduced to Ike Evans (Morgan), owner of the Miramar Playa Hotel. It’s a tumultuous time in Miami and abroad as racial and religious segregation are at their pinnacle in the US, while 90 miles away in Cuba, Castro’s rebels are closing in on Havana.
The Kennedy’s, the mob, and the CIA all hold court at the Miramar and Ike, the man with the dream, is the star.
There are a lot of shows that pretend they are shot in Miami with only a handful that actually shoot here, and I can wholeheartedly say that as a native Miamian, I am darn proud of this production. I can’t wait for you all to see it.
During the after party, Jeffrey told me we would get to see both the good and bad about his character much like his Mad Men counterpart Don Draper (Jon Hamm). And though a second season has not been greenlit as of today, I hear they begin production on season two in July.
I couldn’t help but notice how much the Miramar resembles the Fontainebleau Hotel. Jeffrey confirmed that set production did a lot of research on the Miami Beach staple when creating their fictional abode.
He even invited me to check out the set sometime this summer! I can already picture myself arriving at security and saying, “Hi, Jeffrey Dean Morgan invited me to visit” and how they would usher me in.
Tune in to the season premiere of Magic City on April 6th, 2012.
Photo Cred: James Woodley/Photogenpix.com









