For a couple years now, we’ve been hearing rumors about a Deadwood movie, with HBO’s former programming chief Michael Lombardo all but promising “it’s going to happen†back in 2016. Now, another president of programming is in charge, Casey Bloys, and, while he’s not offering the same level of certainty, he’s also happy to tease the possibility. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills today, Bloys said, “The one thing I was concerned about is I wanted a script that would stand on its own, that if you were a Deadwood fan, it would make you happy and if you had never watched Deadwood, you would still enjoy it. And I’m happy to say [writer] David [Milch] totally delivered on that.†He added, “I think it’s a terrific script.â€
But don’t go running off to get a celebratory whiskey at the saloon just yet — a movie needs more than just a great script to succeed, and according to Bloys, there’s not much more than that right now. “If we can do it for a budget that makes sense for us and find a director — we’re talking to a few folks — and we can get the cast together, which is no easy task because everybody is kind of all over the place, we’re inclined to do it,†Bloys said. “But we have to get over those hurdles.†That’s a lot of “ifs,†but at least they’re “talking†to directors, so there’s still hope.