Back in 2006, HBO‘s Deadwood rode off into the sunset after delivering three superb seasons. The mature, character-driven, obscenity-filled western’s abrupt conclusion left fans craving more closure to its various main plots and side-stories, though, something HBO had said it would eventually deliver in a pair of standalone TV movies. That, of course, was over a decade ago, and endless rumors and speculation have since kept hope alive that the gritty drama would return.
The latest news, though, is some of the best yet, as the network’s president of programming Casey Bloys offered this tease at the recent Television Critics Association press gathering in Beverly Hills: “The one thing I was concerned about is I wanted a script that would stand on its own, that if you were a Deadwood fan, it would make you happy and if you had never watched Deadwood, you would still enjoy it. And I’m happy to say David totally delivered on that.” Referring to series’ creator and writer David Milch’s script, Bloys’ added, “I think it’s a terrific script.”
This is by no means a confirmation the movie will ever make it to air, but it’s the best news fans have gotten in a long time regarding the show’s return in any form. We’ll resist raising a glass of celebratory rot gut until Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, and other key cast members begin tweeting about of their potential return.
