‘Deadwood’ Movie Photos Prove This is Finally, Really Happening

When it comes to the Deadwood movie, I’ve always maintained a “I’ll believe it when I see it” mentality. The film follow-up to David Milch‘s Shakespearian Western has been talked about for so long, that I started to think it would never happen – even when everyone involved said that it definitely was. Now I think I can finally start to accept reality, because the first Deadwood movie photos have surfaced, proving that yes, it’s really happening.


EW has our first look at official Deadwood movie images, and if you’re a Deadwood fan, they don’t disappoint. There are only two pics, and in the grand scheme of things, they don’t tell us much. Still, it’s damned exciting to see them.

First, here’s Ian McShane as lovable murderer Al Swearengen, owner of the Gem Saloon. McShane had been acting for years, but his fantastic work on Deadwood helped catapult him to wider acclaim. When the show began, Swearengen seemed like a straight-up villain, but as Deadwood progressed, the character grew more complex. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s an “anti-hero”, but he does have his noble side. Sometimes.

Next, here’s Timothy Olyphant as the volatile Seth Bullock, who is now a U.S. Marshall. It’s interesting that Swearengen looks pretty much the same as he did on the original show, but Bullock looks significantly older. Perhaps the years have not been very kind to him.

Also returning along with McShane and Olyphant: 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).

Deadwood ran for three seasons on HBO, between 2004 and 2006. While the show earned rave reviews, it was never exactly a ratings juggernaut. HBO cancelled the series, but almost immediately after cancellation, creator David Milch began talking about two potential movies that would wrap the story up. Nothing came of this, though, for almost 12 years. After a while, many assumed the film would never happen. But in recent years, folks at HBO began saying that Milch was indeed finally writing a screenplay, and that a Deadwood film might indeed see the light of day.

This summer, HBO Programming president Casey Bloys confirmed the long-awaited Deadwood movie was definitely happening. “All of these people worked hard to get this together,” Bloys said. “It’s been a logistics nightmare getting all the cast members’ schedules together but we are there. It is greenlit.”

And now here we are! The Deadwood movie will arrive sometime in 2019.