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EXCLUSIVE: Starz has made a 10-episode commitment to _Magic City_, a period drama series that captures the collision of mobsters, politicians and entertainers at a posh Miami hotel just as

Fidel Castro takes control of Cuba and shuts down Havana as a gambling haven. Mitch Glazer created the series and has written the first three episodes — he’ll write five more — of a series

that will start production early next year in Miami and will air on Starz in 2012. It’s being produced by Media Talent Group, whose CEO, Geyer Kosinski will be executive producer with Glazer

and Tony To. The subject matter is a tightrope in dealing with the mob, his own complicated family, racial tensions and a city that is about to blow up as a destination for decadence.

“Mitch has created a world populated with unforgettable characters and with a big dynamic story,” said Starz president/CEO Chris Albrecht in a statement. “The talented creative team that has

come together for _Magic City_ will ensure a show that we think audiences won’t want to miss.” Glazer based the series on his own recollection of growing up in Miami. “I was born and raised

in Miami Beach, grew up in those swank hotel lobbies,” Glazer said. “I love that world and those stories. Miami in the early ‘60s was a tropical crossroads, America’s Casablanca. The Rat

Pack, CIA, the mob, JFK and anti-Castro warriors, all hanging out in the same Collins Avenue nightclub.” Starz is putting together other series, but _Magic City_ certainly harkens back to

that Sopranos-style fare that was Albrecht’s trademark at HBO.