Is 'American Gigolo' Based on a True Story?

Showtime's new series, American Gigolo, sees Jon Bernthal take on the role of a male escort Julian Kaye, who is falsely accused of murder.

After getting his name cleared following a 15-year prison sentence, Kaye makes it his mission to discover the truth behind his incarceration.

Viewers may be wondering how much of the story in American Gigolo is true. Here is everything you need to know.

Is 'American Gigolo' Based on a True Story?

The short answer is, no, American Gigolo is not based on a true story because it is actually a remake of Paul Schrader's 1980 film of the same name.

Schrader's film stars Richard Gere in the title role of Julian Kaye and follows the character in Los Angeles as he becomes romantically entangled with a politician's wife, Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), and then finds himself the prime suspect in a murder.

The film and Showtime series share this same premise, but American Gigolo goes beyond Schrader's original story by focusing more on the aftermath of Kaye's time in prison than it does on what came before.

Kaye does also become romantically involved with Stratton (played by Gretchen Mol) in the show, but in the remake she is the wife of a technology businessman.

During his imprisonment Kaye became estranged from Stratton, but once his name is finally cleared he tries to reconnect with her.

The 2022 iteration of American Gigolo also sees Kaye attempt to discover who framed him and as he does so, he starts to realize that the web of lies is much larger than he initially imagined.

Showtime's remake of American Gigolo does not have any connection to director Schrader, he has revealed.

The filmmaker said in a Facebook post shared in June that he believed the TV adaptation was "a bad idea" and that he had decided not to be involved with the show when he was asked about coming on board.

Schrader told fans: "After the Showtime trailer appeared online I've been asked if I am involved. The answer is no.

"Some years ago I received a call from Paramount asking about remaking American Gigolo as a series. I replied that I thought it was a terrible idea—times had changed, internet porn had redefined male sex work, viruses, etc. I couldn't imagine Julian Kaye working a Hen Party… I thought that was the end of it."

The director explained that he was approached a second time about the series, where he was informed the show was going ahead without his involvement.

He said: "Here were my options: (1) take $50G and not be involved (2) take $0 and not be involved (3) threaten an expensive and futile lawsuit and not be involved. I took the $50G."

Schrader concluded that he had no intention of watching the show because he felt he "couldn't be objective about it and, even if I could, it's too much agita."

American Gigolo premieres Sunday, September 11 on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.