Screenwriter Paul Eckstein, co-creator of the series “Narcos” and “Godfather of Harlem”, died suddenly in his sleep Tuesday night (6/6), at the age of 59. The news was confirmed in a joint statement by the MGM+ platform and ABC producer Signature, responsible for the “The Godfather of Harlem” series. He was in Jamaica, where he was giving a screenwriting workshop.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our brilliant colleague Paul Eckstein, co-creator and executive producer of ‘The Godfather of Harlem,’ and a beloved member of the MGM+ and ABC Signature families,” the companies said. “Working on the series was a labor of love for Paul, who based the storyline in part on his family’s personal history. Paul was passionate, a creative force, known for his kindness and generosity. He was a mentor and friend for many, and will greatly missed,” the statement added.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Eckstein graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, earning degrees in international relations and creative writing. After graduation, he began working in theater in New York, where he was a founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company, and performed on Broadway and in the Shakespeare in the Park project.
Starting in the 1990s, he began acting in television, appearing several times in ‘Star Trek: Voyager’, ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ and other series. As a film producer, Eckstein co-produced MGM’s “Hoodlum.”
In 1998, he moved behind the camera, starring as a producer in the crime film ‘Dangerous Men’. The film had a script by Chris Brancato, who later became his partner in the creation of “Narcos” and “The Godfather of Harlem.”
The two initially worked together on the scripts for the tenth and final season of ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ in 2011 before embarking on ‘Narcos’ for Netflix. Focusing on the story of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (played by Brazilian Wagner Moura), the series was an international success. Eckstein was the showrunner for season 1, but only remained in production in 2015, losing creative leadership when co-creators Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro took over the franchise from sophomore year.
Eckstein and Brancato joined forces again in 2019 to create “Godfather of Harlem”. Set in the 1960s, the period detective series was inspired by the real-life gangster Bumpy Johnson, played by Forest Whitaker (“Black Panther”), and depicted the collision of the civil rights movement with the criminal underworld. In the storyline, Bumpy returns to Harlem after serving ten years in prison and finds the place controlled by the Italian mafia. So, he decides to team up with radical activist Malcolm X, making a spin on the talk of social unrest to start a war for crime leadership in New York.
The series had three seasons and completed its story this year. The latest episode aired in March in the United States, but only arrived last week in Brazil, on the Star+ platform.
His next project would be “August Snow,” a detective series starring Keegan-Michael Key (“Schmigadoon!”), currently in development at CBS Studios.
Source: Terra
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