J.K. Simmons tapped for major MGM+ drama

The Westies is an upcoming drama of MGM+, and J.K. Simmons is tapped to lead it.

According to Deadline, the story is based on a true story, and it was ordered in March 2025 with showrunners Chris Brancato and Michael Panes.

The Oscar winner will play Eamon Sweeney. His character is explained as “the charismatic but ruthless leader of The Westies."

One of the showrunners, Chris, hailed the casting of the Spider-Man star. “J.K. Simmons doesn’t just play authority—he radiates it. We’re lucky to have an actor who brings the gravitas and danger that this world demands."

The logline of the series reads, “The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall."

"Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente," the synopsis continued.

"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia," it added.