Filming begins this month on FX‘s revival of the acclaimed Timothy Olyphant series “Justified.” “Justified: City Primeval” is directly inspired by Elmore Leonard’s “City Primeval: High Noon In Detroit.” The author is responsible for creating the sharp-witted, gunslinging U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in a string of novels and has seen his other novels adapted into feature films.
FX has announced via Deadline that the new additions to the cast will include Oscar-nominee Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard“), Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos,” “Indiana Jones 5“), Adelaide Clemens, Vondie Curtis Hall, Marin Ireland, Norbert Leo Butz, Victor Williams, and Vivian Olyphant.
READ MORE: Quentin Tarantino In Talks To Direct Episodes Of ‘Justified’ Revival
‘City Primeval’ will take place eight years after U.S. Marshall Givens has left Kentucky and now is based in Miami, balancing life as a marshal and part-time father of 14-year-old Willa (played by Olyphant’s real-life daughter Vivian). After a chance encounter on a Florida highway sends him to Detroit, Givens crosses paths with Holbrook’s Clement Mansell, aka, The Oklahoma Wildman. Mansell is a violent sociopath that has already slipped through the fingers of Detroit’s finest and hopes to do it again. Givens may have other plans.
Also, a report from Screen Magazine claims that Quentin Tarantino, who was reportedly looking to direct episodes, won’t be handling the pilot after all. Instead, those duties are reportedly going to Michael Dinner as filming takes place in Chicago from May to September. Tarantino had recently worked with Olyphant on “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” and the Leonard novel “Rum Punch” was the basis for his 1997 film “Jackie Brown.”
We’ll keep our fingers crossed that FX will be able to convince Michael Keaton to reprise the role of FBI Agent Raymond “Ray” Nicolette who previously appeared as the character in both “Jackie Brown” and the Steven Soderbergh film “Out of Sight” which was also based on a Leonard book. Having him show up in “Justified: City Primeval” would help link the series to the films and could be a cheeky nod for Leonard fans.