Fans of the modern Western rejoice! Marshal Raylan Givens is getting back in the saddle. Our favorite gunslinger from the popular FX series is returning in a new spinoff with original star Timothy Olyphant back to reprise his beloved character. He might live in a modern world, but Givens feels straight out of the Wild West, which is part of what makes his stories so captivating. It may be eight years after the Justified series finale, but Givens' story is far from over.
Here's everything we know about the upcoming spinoff, Justified: City Primeval. We can't wait to see Givens dust off his cowboy hat and get back in the game.
When will it air?
Mark your calendars for July 18, when it will premiere on FX and be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
Who is behind the new spinoff?
Original Justified creator Graham Yost is back, executive producing the alongside Olyphant and showrunners and writers Dave Andron and Michael Dinner. Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino is even in early discussions to come on board as director. During its six-season run, the series earned eight Emmy nominations and brought home two wins, including one for Olyphant as best actor.
Tarantino is openly a major Elmore Leonard fan, having adapted one of his novels into a film in the past. We also know he's a sucker for a western, largely inspired by spaghetti westerns of the '60s and having directed two westerns himself. Not to mention, he's worked with Olyphant already in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The new series is going to be a change for our favorite gunslinger, which producers say could be a bit of a shock for fans.
"We're glad we could do this," Michael Dinner told EW.
"It's very, very new. Not quite the old Justified," Dave Andron added. "Only people who read the book might have an idea, but I think people who haven't, who just expect the old thing, are going to be very surprised."
What is the plot?
Eight years after Marshal Raylan Givens leaves Kentucky, he is living in Miami, still working as a marshal and balancing life with his 14-year-old daughter Willa. A chance encounter leads him to a man named Clement Mansell on a Florida highway, also known as The Oklahoma Wildman. Mansell is a violent sociopath who has evaded capture in Detroit, leading Givens up to Detroit himself to help with the case. The series is based on Elmore Leonard's City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit a new chapter for the gunslinger as the original series follows a different Elmore Leonard novel.
Where is it being filmed?
Production began in May of 2022 in the city of Chicago.
Did the cast and crew really get caught in a shootout?
They sure did. Olyphant opened up about the traumatizing experience on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast and how a drive-by shooting between two vehicles in Chicago halted production, causing everyone to jump for cover until the gunfire ceased.
"It was like 100 rounds," he recounted. "You think, 'I mean, I assume one's gonna hit me.' You know, you're just kind of waiting for that moment. It was just so bizarre."
Who's in the cast?
While obviously, Olyphant is coming back, there has been no word on whether some of the other original cast members will be making appearances such as Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder or Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy. But numerous new faces have been added to the cast, including Olyphant's own daughter, Vivian, who will be playing his onscreen daughter Willa.
"Some old characters do show up, but that's one of those things the audience is going to have to get their head around: It is a pretty new cast," Andron explained.
"It's a new group of cops that are around him. It's cops in Detroit, not marshals in Kentucky, and it really is a standalone Raylan story, just with a few old friends sprinkled throughout."
Timothy Olyphant - Raylan Givens
Boyd Holbrook - Clement Mansell
Vondie Curtis Hall - Sweetie
Norbert Leo Butz - Norbert
Victor Williams - Wendell
Aunjanue Ellis - Carolyn
Adelaide Clemens - Sandy
Marin Ireland - Maureen
Vivian Olyphant - Willa Givens
How many seasons will air?
The series was announced as a limited series, so expect one heck of a stand-alone season.
