“The Wire” creator David Simon eyes series on Americans who fought in Spanish Civil War

David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” said he would love to make a television series about the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the collective name for the roughly 2,800 U.S. volunteers who fought on the Republican side during the 19361939 Spanish Civil War.

“I have tried, without success, to interest U.S. producers in the story of these guys who fought in Spain,” Simon told reporters in Barcelona, where he is attending the “Serializados” festival.

Nearly 40,000 men and women from 52 countries joined the International Brigades to battle the fascists in Spain. U.S. volunteers served in various units during the conflict.

The fighters included prominent figures such as George Orwell, who recounted his experiences in Spain in “Homage to Catalonia,” and Josip Broz Tito, the future leader of Yugoslavia, but most Americans are unaware of the story, according to Simon, whose other projects have included “Treme,” and “Show Me a Hero.”

Despite his success and fame, Simon said he doesn’t presume to be an oracle on any matter, acknowledging that his work as an investigative reporter for The Baltimore Sun was “much harder” than making television.

He is now ready to start filming the first season of “The Deuce,” a series on the pornography industry that grew up in New York in the 1970s and ‘80s, a project that didn’t come naturally to Simon.

“I am a married man, with children. I don’t like to talk about porn,” he said.

His interest was piqued, however, after he heard the “fascinating” story of twins – played in the series by James Franco – who were part of the first generation in the porn industry that “came out of nothing” and contributed to the “transformation of sexuality” in our society, Simon said.