It’s fucking happening, everybody. On Monday, HBO announced that the long, long, long-awaited Deadwood movie has officially started production—with almost the entire cast from the original series on board.
And it’s about time. It’s been over a decade since HBO canceled the short-lived western, which basically revolutionized the different ways someone can use the word “fuck” in a sentence, and the rumors of a Deadwood movie to tie up all the show’s loose ends have been flying just about ever since. There was that one exciting tweet, and then a confirmation from HBO, and then talk of a “terrific script” by show creator David Milch, but even Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant wasn’t too sure the film would ever actually come to fruition. Now, finally, it looks like it will.
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Deadwood was a brilliant, complex, almost Shakespearean ensemble drama, and the fact that HBO has been able to wrangle just about everyone from the original show to reprise their roles bodes well for the project. Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant will be back as Al Swearengen and Seth Bullock, respectively, along with Robin Weigert (“Calamity” Jane Canary), Paula Malcomson (Trixie), Brad Dourif (Doc Cochran), John Hawkes (Sol Star), William Sanderson (E.B. Farnum), and Gerald McRaney (George Hearst), among others.
There’s not much information about the actual plot of the film yet, apart from this brutally vague synopsis from HBO:
In the “Deadwood” film, the indelible characters of the series are reunited after ten years to celebrate South Dakota’s statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.
That doesn’t really tell us anything besides “the Deadwood movie is going to be more Deadwood except everyone will be a little older,” but if that’s actually the case, then bring it on. The whole thing will be based on the aforementioned “terrific” script by Milch and directed by Daniel Minahan, who helmed a few episodes of the show back in the day.
There’s no word yet on when, exactly, the Deadwood movie is set to hit HBO, but at least we know it is coming eventually. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 12 fucking years for them to release this thing.
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