A classic western novel is returning to the silver screen. Deadline has reported that Netflix is set to bring Larry McMurtry’s (Dead Man’s Walk, Comanche Moon) novel The Lonesome Dove to our television sets. The original novel was published in 1986 and became a CBS miniseries in 1989. Netflix has greenlit the new series, created by Zoe Kazan (Wildlife, Ruby Sparks) and Jeb Stuart (Diehard, The Fugitive) , who also wrote the upcoming East of Eden adaptation.
Teton Ridge, a production company specializing in the western genre, acquired the rights to the novel in February. They began packaging the project, with Kazan and Stuart joining the series in April. After what is reported to have been a highly competitive bidding process, Netflix won the auction for the series in May. The show is now being confirmed, as Netflix needed to settle rights issues over the past several months.
In contrast to the 1989 version, the series has been pitched as an ongoing series instead of a limited one. The novel follows Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call as the two former Texas Rangers journey across the American West on one final ride to the Rio Grande. The novel has garnered widespread acclaim, winning the 1986 Pulitzer Prize. In addition, the novel sold over 4 million copies and remained on The New York Times’ bestseller list for 28 weeks. The 1989 miniseries had serious star power, with Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men, Men In Black) and Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather) taking on the two leads.
Stuart and Kazan shared a statement reveling in the opportunity to adapt not one but two American literary classics. “After our singular experience on East of Eden, we are thrilled to be teaming with Netflix again, along with Teton Ridge Entertainment, to bring Larry McMurtry’s western classic to life. We come to this material with love and respect, and can’t wait to hit the trail with Gus and Call and the rest of these beloved characters. Yee-haw,” they said in the Statement per Deadline.
Executive producers for the series include Stuart, Kazan, Thomas Tull (42, Godzilla), Jillian Share (Pacific Rim, 42), and Jen Gorton (Drive, Arthur The King) from Teton Ridge, Jon Jashini (Godzilla vs Kong, Lost In Space), McMurty’s creative partner Diana Ossana (Streets Of Laredo, Brokeback Mountain), and Curtis McMurtry of the McMurtry Estate.
Netflix mirrored Stuart and Kazan’s enthusiasm about the project: “Lonesome Dove is one of the great American stories, and there was no question we wanted to follow Zoe and Jeb wherever they went next. After East of Eden, we know exactly what they’re capable of — the depth of character, the sweep of place, the emotional precision. This material deserves that level of care. In their hands, it’s going to be something extraordinary. We’re excited to partner with Teton Ridge to bring this legendary story to life,” Jimmy Howe, head of Netflix scripted, said according to Deadline.
President of Teton Ridge, Jillian Share, spoke on adapting a classic piece of American Media: “Lonesome Dove is the kind of story that only comes along once in a generation. Its characters, scope, and deeply human portrait of the American West have made it an enduring classic, and we see an extraordinary opportunity to bring Larry McMurtry’s world to a new generation of audiences. We’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and for Zoe and Jeb to reimagine this landmark story while preserving the heart and spirit that have made Lonesome Dove so beloved,” per Deadline.