If you cast your mind back many years ago, before Game of Thrones, Westworld and True Blood, you’ll remember that HBO first made an impact on the television landscape with shows like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire and, of course, Deadwood. It only lasted three seasons, but the Western was one of the most critically acclaimed series of its time and amassed a small but incredibly loyal fanbase. Unfortunately though, the ratings just couldn’t justify the cost to produce the show and it was ultimately given the axe.
However, creator David Milch has always promised us that there’d be more. It’s been well over a decade now since Deadwood left television, but every so often a small update pops up on the proposed movie, which has been in development for a very long time. Said to wrap up the stories of the various characters in a satisfying manner, fans have been holding out hope that it’ll eventually see the light of day. While we wouldn’t expect it to arrive any time soon, it seems that HBO is still intent on making it.
While speaking with Variety to promote his new show, American Gods, Ian McShane gave a status update on the Deadwood movie, saying that the network is keen to get it off the ground and already has a script.
There are signs that HBO are quite keen to make it. They’ve got the script. It’s when they’ll make an offer and when we can fit it in. We probably won’t start “American Gods” until probably the end of the year or early next year, so there’s a window when we can do “Deadwood,” but they need to get everybody together. I mean all the characters that David [Milch] wants to put in the show. I’m probably going to have breakfast with him later this week.
But no, they’re keen to do it, and I’m sure it would seem not only artistically a perfect time to do it but also commercially because there’s always been a revised interested in “Deadwood.” It went off the air far too soon for all the reasons you say, but that’s a long time ago. It seems like a two hour film would be a nice thing for all the people that want to see it and all of us who were deprived of the gig too early.
While McShane’s comments are promising, especially the fact that he’s having breakfast with Milch, we wouldn’t hold our breath for this project to come to fruition. Deadwood went off air back in 2006 and ever since, there’s always been chatter of a movie. Here we are though, over a decade later and still nothing has materialized. While the fans no doubt want to see it, you’ve got to wonder if it’d even be a profitable venture at this stage.
Though well reviewed throughout its run, Deadwood was never a huge success in terms of ratings, hence its cancellation, and it’s not likely that many people still care about the show at this point, or even remember it – outside of the hardcore fanbase, that is. Still, hopefully we’re wrong about this, as we definitely want to see more of Deadwood. It was a show that never really caught on like it should have and another chance to revisit this world and its colorful cast of characters would be very welcome. Let’s just hope that HBO actually makes some kind of tangible progress some time soon, or else it’s going to be too late to put this thing together.
Tell us, are you still holding out hope to see more of Al Swearengen, Seth Bullock and the rest of the gang, or were you never really a fan of the show in the first place? Take to the comments section and be sure to let us know!
