Former "The Walking Dead" showrunner Frank Darabont is heading back to TV with an upcoming pilot for TNT called "L.A. Noir," and he wants Thomas Jane to play the big boss.

If the pilot is picked up for series, Jane ("Hung," "The Punisher") will play the infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel. Although he wasn't available to shoot the pilot, Jane-as-Siegel may be seen onscreen fleetingly in printed materials during the pilot. He would become a central character starting with the second episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show is based John Buntin’s book "L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City," and will detail the ongoing struggle for power between gangsters and cops in the post-WWII City of Angels.

In the pilot, which recently wrapped production, "Walking Dead" vet Jon Bernthal stars as LAPD officer Joe Teague, while Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes") plays a mob lawyer with a personal connection to Teague. Neil McDonough ("Captain America"), Jeffrey DeMunn and Andrew Rothenberg also starred in the pilot, while Simon Pegg made a guest appearance.