Signaling the latest revival of an aughts-era Golden Age o' TV classic, FX is bringing back the gang behind Justified for a new limited series.
On the topline, Timothy Olyphant will reprise his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in a story based on yet more writings from noir fiction master Elmore Leondard, inm this case his novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit. Creator-EP Graham Yost will also return, as will series writers Chris Provenzano, Dave Andron, Michael Dinner, Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Taylor Elmore. Olyphant will also executive produce, along with Peter Leonard, son of the late novelist. Andron and Dinner will be the showrunners.
The series will be produced by FX and Sony Pictures Television.
The logline: "Having left the hollers of Kentucky eight years ago, Raylan Givens now lives in Miami, a walking anachronism balancing his life as a U.S. Marshal and part-time father of a 14-year-old girl. His hair is grayer, his hat is dirtier, and the road in front of him is suddenly a lot shorter than the road behind. A chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway sends him to Detroit. There he crosses paths with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again. Mansell's lawyer, formidable Motor City native Carolyn Wilder, has every intention of representing her client, even as she finds herself caught in between cop and criminal, with her own game afoot as well. These three characters set out on a collision course in classic Elmore Leonard fashion, to see who makes it out of the City Primeval alive."
Based on the Leonard novella Fire in the Hole, Justified premiered in March 2010 and ran for six seasons on FX, winning Primetime Emmys in 2011 (Margo Martindale for supporting actress in a drama series) and 2012 (Jeremy Davies as guest actor).
It was a critics darling, aggregated at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Leonard himself uplifted the enterprise, often appearing on TCA panels for the show up until his death in 2013.
"To have this group come together again with Tim as Raylan in a new and different Elmore Leonard story is thrilling," said Eric Schrier, president of FX Entertainment, in a statement. "I want to thank our showrunners Dave and Michael, and their fellow executive producers Tim, Graham, Sarah and Carl, the Elmore Leonard estate as well as our partners at Sony Pictures Television, for making this possible.”
No premiere or production start date was announced. And it's unclear as to whether the series will premiere simultaneously on Hulu. ■
