HBO announced today that Medellin, Entourage’s film within a television series, will air immediately after the closing credits of this Sunday’s episode. The short will run for approximately two minutes.
Medellin, the Pablo Escobar biopic starring Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), has been the central storyline of Entourage this season. Under the control of an unpredictable and insecure “artiste" director, the film — an Apocalypse Now/Tarantino send-up — has drained Chase’s bank account and threatens to bankrupt his career
The clipped screened at the start of HBO’s late-afternoon session featured Escobar standing in a blood-filled pool and clutching a phone to his ear with a bloodied hand while screaming in Spanish, “nobody screws with me!!”
HBO’s co-president Richard Plepler, and programming group and west coast operations president Michael Lombardo, shared the stage during the executive session. A chunk of time was spent evading questions about the Deadwood movie as reporters tenaciously tried to pin them down on the future of the cancelled series. Fans were upset by the unexpected cancellation and were led to expect a wrap-up film.
Lombado: We’re finishing John from Cincinnati. David Milch is exhausted, so we haven’t had a conversation with him about scheduling the [Deadwood] production … We don’t have holds on the actors anymore. David is busy doing John …We will revisit with David at the end of the summer, after he’s rested.
Question: So, it’s possible that the two hour Deadwood may not happen?
Lombardo: Of course, that’ possible. We’re going to have to bring back an array of actors, many of whom have moved onto other shows … it’s doable. It will just be daunting.
Question: If CBS renewed Jericho, what would fans have to send you to get Deadwood back?
Lombardo: We haven’t talked to David … and if David’s game for this. .. we’re going to figure it out.
Plepler. We’ll know better when we have a change to sit down with David
Lombardo: The truth of the matter is, if we pick up John, David will have to go right back into working on that show for next summer.
Later…
Question: You said if you pick up John, he has to go right back into production?
Lombardo: No. Writing. (A rambling answer about how long hiatuses between seasons are not such a great idea follows.)
Question: [reporter, getting a little exasperated]: How important is it? You won’t put a percentage on whether it will happen but our readers are pushing us to push you guys to find out if it’s ever really going to happen or if they should just give up on it.
Plepler: Look, we’d love to find a way to do it. I think the question is going to be whether or not all the actors can be pulled together, whether or not David is fully committed and motivated to getting the script written. I spoke to him the other day. He’s obviously exhausted in concluding this project with John. And I think he wants a little time to think about it. So we’re going to have to wait. Whoever asked for the percentage before … you could probably put it at 50/50.
Lombardo: Yeah.
So. There you have it. Another straight answer from HBO. In other words, the Deadwood film is sounding increasingly DOA.
