No, it isn’t fake news. A Deadwood movie is finally happening at HBO. The network has announced that the film feature based on their hit western drama would start filming in October, 12 years after the original series was canceled.
“We’re looking at an October start date,” said HBO president Casey Bloys. “We worked very hard to get this together. It has been a logistics nightmare to get all the cast members together.”
Bloys also added that Daniel Minahan, who directed several episodes of Deadwood, is attached to direct the movie, which should premiere in spring of 2019 if production goes as planned.
This announcement comes several days after Robin Weigert, who played Calamity Jane in the original series, told LA Times that Deadwood movie is almost surely happening.
“It’s safe enough to say [the film] is happening this fall,” said Weigert. “There’s a set being built and tax incentives to get it done. A lot of [actors] have signed on. There’s a 90% chance it’ll finally happen.”
Created, produced, and written by David Milch, Deadwood aired on HBO for three seasons, from 2004 to 2006. The story of the series was set in the late 1800s, and revolved around characters whose paths intersect in Deadwood, South Dakota, a town filled with crime and corruption. It starred Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Robin Weigert, Jim Beaver, W. Earl Brown, and Brad Dourif among others.
Despite receiving critical acclaim during its run, Deadwood ended up being canceled after HBO didn’t pick up options on actors’ contracts. After this decision, HBO agreed with Milch to produce a Deadwood movie. Despite the agreement, the film was never made due to various reasons, and after 12 years, it seemed like a lost cause. But, it looks like finally, something might happen now. We don’t know about you, but we will believe when we see the set photos.
