Epix might’ve found its Travolta and Hackman TV replacements.
Deadline reports that Chris O’Dowd (Family Tree, The IT Crowd, Calvary) and Ray Romano (most recently seen in HBO’s short-lived Vinyl) are both in talks for the leads in Epix’s 10-episode Get Shorty reboot. O’Dowd is reportedly finalizing his deal, while Romano is still in negotiations.
Get Shorty was originally a 1990 crime/comedy novel from Elmore Leonard, and was adapted by MGM in the mid-90s as a feature from Men In Black‘s Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Rene Russo. O’Dowd’s character of Miles Daly is the series’ version of Travolta’s Chili Palmer, and Romano’s Rick is the series’ version of Hackman’s Harry Zim.
Epix’s take on Get Shorty, written by Davey Holmes (Shameless, Damages, Pushing Daisies), tells the story of Nevada mob-muscle Daly (O’Dowd) as he attempts to move to Los Angeles and pivot careers into being a Hollywood producer for the sake of his daughter. Unbeknownst to Daly, he has not quite shaken his criminal past and has to deal with the repercussions in LA. Rick (Romano), a has-been producer of B-movies, becomes Daly’s partner and guide through the world of Hollywood.
Get Shorty was ordered to series by Epix back in May. It is the third original series from Epix along with Don Quixote comedy Graves and espionage drama Berlin Station. Get Shorty is set to shoot this fall and is aiming for a premiere date in summer 2017.