According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Donnie Wahlberg is in negotiations to star opposite Bobby Cannavale in NBC's untitled '70s cop drama from writer-producer Rand Ravich, which Clark Johnson is on board to direct.

Set in New York, the project is based on the real-life experiences of NYPD Detectives Sonny Grosso and Eddie Egan, the cops behind one of the biggest drug busts in U.S. history, which became the subject of the Oscar-winning 1971 feature The French Connection.

Wahlberg will play the character loosely based on Egan. In the movie, the role earned Gene Hackman an Academy Award.