At last we have it, folks: proof that the Deadwood movie is happening (actual footage!) as well as a premiere date: May 31st, well clear of the end of Game of Thrones. HBO has released a new trailer today for the film fans have been waiting for since the abrupt close of Season 3 twelve years ago. In some ways it seems like things haven't much changed -- Seth is still on the straight and narrow, and in a wary kind of communication alliance with Al at the saloon. But seeing all of those familiar faces really brings it all back, and I can't wait.

Happily, returning cast members for the Deadwood movie include just about everyone you can remember: Ian McShane (Al Swearengen), Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock), Molly Parker (Alma Ellsworth), Paula Malcomson (Trixie), John Hawkes (Sol Star), Anna Gunn (Martha Bullock), Dayton Callie (Charlie Utter), Brad Dourif (Doc Cochran), Robin Weigert (“Calamity” Jane Canary), William Sanderson (E.B. Farnum), Kim Dickens (Joanie Stubbs) and Gerald McRaney (George Hearst). The film will also feature new cast member Jade Pettyjohn (Caroline).

The movie has been written by series creator David Milch anddirected by Daniel Minahan. As I wrote in the first article on the synopsis and cast announcement, it will probably be both everything and nothing that we expect. In the meantime, refresh yourself on this violent, exquisitely-written drama, or experience it for the first time. As Al Swearengen would say, “Welcome to fucking Deadwood!”

Here’s the official synopsis for Deadwood:

In the “Deadwood” film, the indelible characters of the series are reunited after ten years to celebrate South Dakota’s statehood. Former rivalries are reignited, alliances are tested and old wounds are reopened, as all are left to navigate the inevitable changes that modernity and time have wrought.

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Image via HBO
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Image via HBO