Nearly seven years after the end of Justified, Timothy Olyphant is set to return to FX as his signature character, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, in a new miniseries titled Justified: City Primeval. And despite some indications it’s a reboot, it’s actually a sequel series that will continue Givens’ story after the events of Justified.
The new miniseries is based on Elmore Leonard’s 1980 novel, City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While Raylan Givens is also an Elmore creation, that character didn’t appear in the original book. During Olyphant’s six-season run as Givens on Justified, he established his character as a maverick who wasn’t afraid to use lethal force if necessary. But parenthood has apparently softened some of his harder edges.
According to FX, the new miniseries begins eight years after Justified season 6, with Raylan now living in Florida and co-parenting his 14-year old daughter. However, Raylan will quickly be drawn to Detroit for a confrontation with Clement Mansell, aka The Oklahoma Wildman. Clement is “a violent, sociopathic desperado who’s already slipped through the fingers of Detroit’s finest once and aims to do so again.” Clement is represented by Carolyn Wilder, a shady lawyer with her own agenda. Raylan will have to contend with both characters “to see who makes it out of the City Primeval alive.”
Sony Pictures Television and FX will once again co-produce the new Justified miniseries. Dave Andron and Michael Dinner will be the showrunners and executive producers, with Dinner also directing the miniseries. The original Justified showrunner, Graham Yost, is also attached as an executive producer. alongside Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, and Olyphant.
“Justified was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the past decade and an adaption of Elmore Leonard’s work that was so colorfully brought to life by Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, Graham Yost, and the entire team of producers, writers, directors, and cast,” said FX Entertainment President Eric Schrier in a statement. “To have this group come together again, with Tim as Raylan in a new and different Elmore Leonard story, is thrilling.”
“When Justified concluded, the love and affection for this exceptional series only grew and left audiences craving more Raylan Givens,” added Sony Pictures Television Studios co-presidents Jeff Frost and Jason Clodfelter. “The iconic Elmore Leonard was one of the premier authors of our time and no one has quite captured his tone and authenticity as well as this Justified team.”
FX hasn’t set a date for Justified: City Primeval, but the miniseries will likely run on Hulu as well when it is eventually released.
