As we reported a few months back, writer/director Frank Darabont cushioned his ousting from AMC's The Walking Dead by swiftly landing a gig with TNT to helm their period drama L.A. Noir. The project is based on the book L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City which focuses on the decades-long conflict between Los Angeles police chief William Parker and mobster / former boxer Mickey Cohen.Darabont already succeeded in pulling several exited cast members from his former series to his new project (to avoid spoilers for anyone behind on their viewing, names will be revealed after the jump). Now, Darabont is in talks with Thomas Jane (Hung), whose HBO series was recently cancelled after three seasons, to play mobster Bugsy Siegel.  For more on the project, hit the jump.Though Jane was unavailable for the pilot, which wrapped production over the weekend, The Hollywood Reporter has learned he will likely be involved if TNT orders the project to series.In addition to casting Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) as a young mob "fixer," Darabont also snagged Walking Dead alums Jon Bernthal (who will star as LAPD cop Joe Teague), Jeffrey DeMunn (as Hal Morrison, a detective and head of the LAPD's mob squad) and Andrew Rothenberg (playing a member of Hal's team). British comedic actor and geek extraordinare Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) is also guest staring in the pilot, rounding out an impressive team that includes The Social Network producer Michael DeLuca as well as Alissa Phillips (Moneyball) as co-executive producer.Of course, if Darabont is looking for credible gangsters, there happens to be another one recently out of work on a related series, Boardwalk Empire. Hey, if Darabont can resurrect humans as zombies, why not Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody 2.0?