Check out all of our ongoing coverage of the TCA 2016 Winter Press Tour here. (Not familiar with the TCAs? Read our handy explainer).

Deadwood is one of the best shows HBO has ever done. The first season is a little slow, but once you hit seasons two and three, it’s all-time great television. For those unfamiliar with David Milch’s series, it takes place in 1870s Deadwood, South Dakota and follows the growth of the community and the characters within as they deal with internal conflicts and larger, external forces. To say anything more would ruin all the delightful twists and turns, but it’s a special show and one that deserves your time.

Unfortunately, the show was canceled in 2006 after its third season, but there were loose promises of a movie to perhaps tie things up (personally, I think the show ends in an strong place with a perfect closing line), and fans have been clamoring for the film ever since. It pretty much remained a fervent wish for fans until last August when Garret Dillahunt—who’s such a good actor that he played two completely different characters on Deadwood—tweeted:


[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/garretdillahunt/status/631629320339988480[/EMBED_TWITTER]

Yesterday at the TCAs, HBO President Michael Lombardo was asked if there was any truth to these rumors and he confirmed to TV Line:

“David has our commitment that we are going to do it,” says Lombardo. “He pitched what he thought generally the storyline would be — and knowing David, that could change. But it’s going to happen.”

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Image via HBO

So why is Milch intent on returning to Deadwood? Lombardo says that the creator and showrunner felt there was “something left unsaid.” Presumably, it wasn’t the word “cocksucker,” which is used so gratuitously that it becomes unintentionally comical.

However, when we might actually get a Deadwood movie remains another matter. Milch is working on something else at the moment, but Lombardo says his understanding is that when Milch is done with that project, he’ll start work on the script for the Deadwood film.


The other issue is casting. It’s hard to reunite a cast the size of Deadwood’s, but Lombardo is confident that this one will find time for a movie when it comes along. “The cast is unbelievably [tight],” says Lombardo. “Some casts and creators form a bond that becomes relevant for the rest of their lives. This was a defining moment for a lot of them.”

This is great news, and I hope it becomes a reality sooner rather than later. Now if we could just go back in time and stop HBO from canceling Carnivale so that whole story could play out, we’d be all set.

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