Discuss: Should There Be a 'Deadwood' Movie?
Filed under: Drama, Fandom, Western
In a battle between East Coast gangsters and West Coast cowboys, a New York-based company has sided with the Mob. Erik has just posted about HBO's desire to make a movie based on The Sopranos, despite the reluctance of creator David Chase. However, HBO has shot down even the possibility of making any movies based on Deadwood, despite the past enthusiasm expressed by creator David Milch.
This might sound like old news. After all, Cinematical first broke the story last September that HBO had scrapped their plans to make two movies to wrap up the storylines explored in the show's three seasons. Fans -- and the actors themselves -- were not happy about the decision. HBO danced around it, with a publicist saying there were "no current plans." (Italics added.) In an effort to hammer the final nail in the coffin, Richard Pepler, co-president of HBO, now says "the likelihood of a Deadwood movie happening is slim to none," according to Zap2it. Michael Lombardo of HBO claims that talks never got past the "discussion stage." Milch, however, said in January 2007: "We have every intention of going forward."
The "slim to none" HBO statement may not be a big surprise, considering the two years that have passed since the unceremonious end of the show's third season, its setting in the Old West, and Deadwood's (relatively) low profile in modern pop culture, at least as compared to The Sopranos or Sex and the City.
But *@&# that logic! Deadwood was a great show with fascinating, multi-layered characters and stories, featuring a wealth of excellent performances. People talked like we'd never heard characters in Westerns talk before -- not just the blistering obscenities, but cadences and expressions that were true to the period. The setting may have been the Old West, but the show was as modern as tomorrow.
I loved the series so goshdarn much, I know I have blinders on. So, dear readers, tell me if I'm crazy to want a Deadwood movie -- or two. If, though, you agree with me, then tell HBO why there should be one. If they don't want to make it, should they sell the rights to someone else?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-11-2008 @ 1:55PM
Petro1734 said...
Hell yes ! Deadwood was awesome ! That show was every bit as good as The Sopranos and The Wire and it was damn sure better than Sex in the City ! Sorry girls and gays, but 4 superficial c**ts chit-chatting about shoes and dicks is just not that interesting................kidding.......or am I ? ? ?
Seriously though, if HBO doesn't wanna do it, then they should absolutley let someone else have it. If not, HBO, YOU'RE JUST A BUNCH OF C**KSUCKERS !! : )
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9-01-2008 @ 11:04PM
Simon said...
I agree. It is embarrassing that HBO does not produce or at least others buy the rights to Deadwood. Amazing show. This is yet another reason why Showtime is taking over as the superior cable movie network. HBO better get their act together...or they will lose once-loyal fans!
7-11-2008 @ 2:18PM
jro said...
Deadwood is by far my favorite HBO Series. I would really like a movie. HBO has really gone in the toilet quality wise as far as I'm concerned with their programming. They canceled Deadwood and Carnivale and left them wide open promising movies which they never delivered on. I'm unsubscribed to HBO and Showtime is where it's at.
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7-11-2008 @ 5:33PM
DanJack said...
Deadwood is one of the greatest works of television (or any other medium for that matter) that I have ever seen!!! They should definitely make movies, or a miniseries (or both). I actually prefer Deadwood over the Sopranos. As good as the writing may have been on the Sopranos, it was never original, as the mob+family connection has already been explored many times before (i.e. The Godfather, Once Upon A Time In America, etc...). Deadwood was a completely original look at the old west that had never been seen before.
It was a truly great, albeit brief, moment in time when HBO was airing both Deadwood and Rome (another show cut down before its time, yet as least that was allowed the chance to have a better ending).
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7-11-2008 @ 6:10PM
Jim said...
I cancelled HBO because of the way they screwed up Deadwood. Everyone else should too. Lots of people involves with this deserve a punch in the mouth and a demotion to the mailroom.
If faith in quality series is any barometer, HBO now ranks below Fox. You heard me.
I'm happy today with USA, BBC America and Turner Classic Movies (and no, I don't work for any of them).
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7-13-2008 @ 5:02PM
tessaprn said...
I did the same. I thought Deadwood was the best that HBO had to offer. When HBO dropped the series, I dropped HBO.
7-12-2008 @ 10:32AM
Tommy D said...
By far Deadwood was superior to the Sopranos in ever way (who wants to look at fat guys living in the dump that is North Jersey) not to mention that HBO had years to plan and end the series and the best they could do was just enraged fans of the show and now they have to fix it. I guess the HBO executives did not
want to wake up a Horse head next to them..
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7-12-2008 @ 2:32PM
CLS said...
Deadwood transcended television and I would love to see it transcend film.
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7-12-2008 @ 7:47PM
Ben said...
If Deadwood is dead, so should be David Milch's career as a series writer. Who wants to invest his time in one who does not finish his business? In the words of Mr. Wu, "Hollywood C********r!"
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7-14-2008 @ 1:10PM
bob said...
David Milch tried very hard to give Deadwood a proper ending, he fought tooth and nail with HBO not to cancel it like they did.
Check out this blog from one of the main actors on the show addressing this unfortunately common misperception.
http://blog.jopinionated.com/2007/08/22/exclusive-deadwoodjohn-from-cincinnati-actor-jim-beaver-responds.aspx
7-13-2008 @ 11:20AM
isolo said...
Whats HBO afraid of, its just about the nearest
we in this age will ever get to the reality of those
days, and with the original cast can only be a winner.
Maybe they think the story to bleak or plot to difficult.
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7-15-2008 @ 1:44PM
Ken said...
Just remember, HBO canceled this outstanding show to have Milch focus on... John from Cincinnati.
John from Cincinnati...
John from Cincinnati...
No matter how many times I say that I still have a hard time not believing it is only a bad joke.
John from Cincinnati...
Nope, I still don't get it. All I can say is "C@&%SUCKERS!"
Does HBO have any good shows now? I remember Band of Brothers, From Earth to the Moon, Rome, Sopranos (which did have some great moments), Deadwood, Carnival (it wore on me as it went on though...) and even some great moments in Sex in the City. Now they have... NOTHING.
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7-17-2008 @ 8:18AM
ryan said...
HBO confuses the hell out of me. They find amazing, top rung talent to create, write, produce, etc. some of the most well thought out and incredible shows, make a few, and then scrap them. Not only do they scrap them, but they leave their intelligent viewers with no end to their stories, and no logical conclusions to what the artist(s) behind the creation was trying to tell us (ie, Carnivale, Deadwood). Essentially, HBO rips the last 200 pages from my book, then hands it back, then tells me that I may get the pages back someday. I never do get those pages. On the other hand, they cling to their mediocre pop-coms like Sex in the City, The Wire, and Sopranos, milking the cash from the 'not-so-intelligent' viewer as they go along. There always seems to be more of them than there are of us. HBO, I just ask you one thing. Please do not, DO NOT, get behind any more genius creations. If you see a great idea that looks well thought out, original and creative... please pass it up and let someone with true interest take it on. We know you couldn't care less about these shows when they only make you millions and not the billions you had hoped for. You will destroy them, leaving the creators and admirers with nothing. I canceled HBO a week after Deadwood was canceled. I doubt from the pattern I've seen from the upper brass at HBO that I'll ever bother watching another HBO original series in my life.
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7-26-2008 @ 10:48PM
Julie & Ryan, Tampa FL said...
YES, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE brink Deadwood back, just give us the our CLOSURE with the movie(s). I only got HBO because my new husband wanted to see the Soprano's ending, in the meantime we both discovered and fell in love with Deadwood, then..... bam! Gone! CRAP! I have emailed HBO numerous times with NO response whatsoever. Us Deadwood fans DESERVE CLOSURE WITH A MOVIE OR TWO! HBO does not seem to care at all so by all means sell the rights!!!! And since it has been two years they really need to do something NOW. Please save Deadwood.
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7-27-2008 @ 12:26AM
Wiggs said...
My husband and I never recovered from the abrupt loss and lack of closure on "Deadwood". We subscribed to HBO for the great original programming, (Deadwood, Rome, Sopranos) and in an effort to save money HBO has ended or abruptly cancelled all of their anchor shows.....there is nothing left to watch......therefore we cancelled HBO. Whoever made these poor business decisions should be put on the sled and fed to Wu's pigs! We are still outraged at HBO, and the only comfort we have is that we own this remarkable series to watch over and over again. HBO has betrayed it's viewers.....we were not slapped in the face, we were punched, knocked down, and ran over! Deadwood will not be made. It's too expensive and the actors have moved on to other projects........all I can do is hope.
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7-28-2008 @ 12:35AM
Mel said...
One of the best series that was ever created. I have all three series on DVD and everytime I watch them, I see something new that I hadn't before. So many layers! Such a intriguing and reviting show. I first subscribed to HBO because of the series, and ..... as soon as they pulled the plug, so did I.
Please, there needs to be a movie or something to rap it up.
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7-28-2008 @ 10:47PM
Chris said...
I was on Amazon checking some newly released DVDs and saw the Deadwood Box set, which reminded me, they were supposed to come out with a movie to close it. So I did a search and came upon this site. HBO really pisses me off. I was thinking about canceling the other day, because I don’t watch it that much anymore, and this may well have set the wheels in motion to make it happen. I hate to be belligerent, but WTF is wrong with HBO. Is the fanbase of Deadwood that slim? It doesn’t seem like it. Everyone I’ve recommended it to loves it. On that note, WTF about Carnivale. I finally broke down and bought it after reading reviews and got sucked into that series as well only to be disappointed at the season end (although it wasn’t as bad as the Deadwood season end). Two incredibly great shows just wiped from the face of the earth. Well, I’m canceling HBO. I doubt it will make a big difference in their profits, but maybe if enough people do it, they’ll take notice. Besides the convenience of TV, if there’s any movie or TV show I really want to watch, I can rent it or download it. I picked it up this year only as part of my satellite package and hopes there would be a follow-on to Deadwood and I heard there was a potential for another season of Carnivale, and the possibility of likely quality series.
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7-30-2008 @ 2:29PM
Vikki said...
I hate westerns, but I fell in love -- head over heels -- with Deadwood. Incomparable writing and acting. I kept my HBO subscription for that series (and then for Rome). When Deadwood and Rome ended (at least Rome GOT an ending) I canceled my HBO subscription. The writer of the Sopranos isn't fit to wash David Milch's jock. YES -- WE NEED A DEADWOOD MOVIE or a FOURTH SEASON which is what David Milch had in mind all along. Shame on HBO for only looking at the bottom line (too expensive to produce); shame on them for spending millions on shows with all the talent and promise in the world only to never let them see the light of day (12 Miles of Bad Road) just because of money or internal bickering. Whatever happened to quality programming? If you build it, subscribers will come . . . .
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7-30-2008 @ 6:33PM
trou said...
I would LOVE to see HBO bring back Deadwood, however, I would be afraid of them screwing it up in the movie format. I heard that if they even made the movies, it would take place ten years later after a fire and a devastating flood tears through our beloved town. Now I dont know if anyone was paying attention to the body count while the show was on the air, but I would have to say this would mean an entirely new cast would have to take the place of the legendary old one to keep up the ratio. It would have to take an incredible 'first' two hour movie to sucker me into even thinking about watching the second.
HBO deserves to be burned down and ravaged by a flood for their narrow-mindedness and thoughtless actions. One would think in this day and age, they would almost NEED to produce original series that reflect what the viewers want and not what they want to make.
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8-01-2008 @ 8:02AM
cody e said...
Deadwood was the greatest show ever produced. As far as I am concerned, HBO really #$#$#$ up on this one. I no longer pay for HBO or their affiliates. I have sent countless emails to them, but evidently they dont care what the public thinks. I guess they think we will watch anything they come up with. I personally, will never watch them again, unless they come back and finish Deadwood. Just my thoughts...
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