'The Madonnas Of Echo Park' To Become HBO Show

Echo Park is getting the HBO treatment in the form of an adaption of "The Madonnas of Echo Park," a novel by Brando Skyhorse about the rapidly gentrifying area.

Deadline has the exclusive on the announcement:

It explores the relationships -– romantic, professional, familial –- of the Latinos that have built the community over the years, and the hipsters who’re making their way in now, examining the complicated dynamic between the two as they struggle to build new lives for themselves in pursuit of the American dream.

Of course, this isn't the first time that Echo Park has been prominently featured, almost as its own character, in films and television. Eastsider LA notes that the neighborhood is already accommodating "Southland" television filming crews and wonders if the neighborhood can accomodate another show.

Feature films include the 1986 movie "Echo Park," which deals with the neighborhood's gentrified side and centers on an aspiring actress and songwriter. "Mi Vida Loca," a 1993 film, portrays gang life in Echo Park during the 1980s and 1990s.

The 2006 movie "Quinceanera" is a sad, sweet film about two Latino teens who try to help their grandfather hold on to his Echo Park home. Viewers will note that this film, too, contains a "Madonna" -- an unwed, pregnant teen who is technically still a virgin.

There must be something in the air in Hollywood, because LA's Latino community is also the subject of a recently announced ABC pilot called "Devious Maids." If it gets picked up, the show will deal with the intersection between Latina housekeepers and their rich and famous employers in Beverly Hills. Eva Longoria is set to executive produce the pilot, reports Deadline, while "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry is signed on to write it.