Well, wrap me in twine and call me a meal — did I do that right? — HBO's signature western is returning, for real.The Deadwood movie, a long-held pipe dream for fans of the 2004 show, is actually, truly happening.
HBO announced today that the movie has begun production, and a number of the TV show's original actors are returning. Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane will reprise their roles as Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen, respectively, the two most central characters from the show. Olyphant and McShane will also help to produce the film.
The prospect of a movie has been on the table since the conclusion of the third season. David Milch, the show's creator, originally planned to write two TV movies to close out the show. Shortly after that was announced, though, the project stalled until July of this year, when HBO confirmed that the Deadwood movie would happen.
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Deadwood ran for three seasons, from 2004 to 2006. A drama about a settlement in South Dakota, the show was a proto-Game of Thrones for the wild wild west. Seth Bullock was an erstwhile sheriff who moved to Deadwood, SD to start a new life. In essence, that's what a lot of people were doing in Deadwood, but the settlement wasn't exactly the idyllic retreat with bountiful resources that it might have seemed.
Other returning actors include Paula Malcomson as the sex worker Trixie, Anna Gunn as Martha Bullock, and Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane. (For those unacquainted, Weigert plays the therapist on Big Little Lies.) Kim Dickens (Fear of the Walking Dead) will be returning as Joanie Stubbs as well. Jade Pettyjohn, a young actress who will appear in Destroyer this December, will be joining the cast as the only newcomer to the Deadwood 'verse. HBO has not yet set a release date for the film.