Time for Justified fans to get hyped, because the producers are once again diving into the works of Elmore Leonard. If all goes as planned, a TV series based on not one, but three of the late author's crime novels set in Detroit will be coming our way. Here's what's known so far, and why any fan of Justified or any of Leonard's books should be excited.
Deadline reports that executive producers of Justified, Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman, have optioned Elmore Leonard's Unknown Man #89, Pagan Babies and Mr. Paradise for development into a television series. While those three are specifically mentioned, it's also said that Beverly and Timberman are actively looking at other books within the Detroit novel series as well. The city appears to be the revolving theme around this project, as well as the crimes that happen within it. The stories will be adapted by Tod "Kip" Williams, and Leonard's son and author Peter Leonard will also join in as an executive producer. As of now, the plan is to have this project ready enough to market to potential networks or services before the end of this year.
As for how the stories will be adapted, the current plan states that each story will be limited to a season. That leaves a potential 12 seasons on the table if we're basing numbers on how many crime novels Elmore Leonard wrote that took place in the city, although there's a chance things may change. While there is a plan to adapt the novels mentioned, there are also talks of taking elements or characters from said novels and creating an entirely new narrative using the stylish quirky characters that Leonard is so known for. Ultimately, the project sounds like a semi-anthology, except some of the actors return as their character and not another, even though the story may differ.
Considering the critical acclaim Justified (which is also based on a couple of Elmore Leonard's short stories) received, it seems like a no brainer for Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman to revisit the author's works and try to strike gold yet again. In addition to that series, the producers are also responsible for Elementary and the new CBS series debuting this fall Seal Team, so they'll have a lot on their plate as they look to get this new project ready to shop to another network. Hopefully, the pitches go well and fans get another Leonard-inspired series on the docket for 2018!
Things sound pretty good at the moment regarding this project, but until a network officially gives the order to make this a series, fans should put any excitement on pause. Case in point: Quentin Tarantino optioned one of Leonard's series a year back and we still have yet to hear anything about it. Read more about that, or how Walton Goggins thinks Boyd may have one more story left to tell beyond Justified. For more information on show's premiering this fall, visit our fall premiere guide.
