FX has joined forces with the quirk masters of cinema, Joel and Ethan Coen to bring the Oscar-nominated film Fargo to the small screen. Before you roll your eyes and click back to RedTube at the thought of another reboot, rest assured this crime caper rejuvenation is in the safe hands of its creators.
The new series will be loosely based on the original film, with a script written by Noah Hawley (My Generation) and executive produced by the Coens.
A critical darling and recipient of two Oscars, the original film released in 1996 bagged Frances McDormand an award for Best Actress alongside the directors who each won for Best Original Screenplay.
This will be the second time a small screen adaptation has been attempted as back in 2003 Kathy Bates directed a pilot with Edie Falco cast in the lead as Marge Gunderson. Unfortunately, it failed to get picked up, possibly due to lack of support from the Coens. It was a shame too as the versatility of warmth and grit Falco had in The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie would have made her a superb candidate to portray Marge Gunderson on the small screen.
This announcement will no doubt cause deflation in die-hard Fargo aficionados. To be truthful, with the volume of revisits occurring across the big and small screen this project could be one of those examples that has potential due to its source material.
What will be revealed when the series starts (if it IS an episodic series – reports so far are murky and describe it as an hour long take on the film) is if the characters can survive the transition from the film story to a weekly serial-style story. Either way, I just hope the duo they cast as Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare’s counterparts are equally as funny looking.
