Deadwood movie: New photos and the theme of the story

We’ve known for a little while now that a Deadwood movie was going to be coming to HBO. The right circumstances finally happened for the cast to get back together, and with that, there’s an opportunity for all of us as viewers to witness something incredible. This movie has been many years in the making, and it’s finally a chance for most people out there to get closure on precisely what happened so many years ago.

Yet, beyond just the idea of “closure,” what is the movie actually about? What is the substance underneath the bones? This is something that show executive producer Carolyn Strauss discussed a little bit more to Entertainment Weekly, who also were kind enough to share two of the first images of the movie featuring Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant:

If you ask David [Milch], it’s about the passage of time. The toll of time on people. It’s mellowed some people and hardened others. And it’s about the town’s maturing and becoming part of the Union and what that event sets in motion, in a very personal way for the people that it brings in town and what ensues. The toll of time has not just struck Deadwood and the characters but all the people making it as well, you get to see the faces of people 12 years later. And it was really profound. Actors were crying at the table read — not necessarily from the script but the emotion of being back and doing something we all loved doing so much. You normally have a great experience and then it’s over. You don’t normally get the chance to do this in life. It was kind of a gift.

This movie is certainly going to be a gift to fans who have been waiting this long and we absolutely do think that it’ll prove worthy of the wait. Let’s just put it this way — we don’t think that HBO would’ve bothered bringing the show back after so many years unless they were a million percent confident that they had something special here. This production is proof positive that they knew what they had and they were eager to give everyone a little bit of something more. We’re not expecting more beyond it or that this movie will spawn some sort of larger save-our-show effort. It’s just a chance to dive back into this iconic world one more time, and for HBO to finally correct what is, at least in the minds of many, one of their greatest wrongs.

What do you want to see when it comes to the Deadwood movie, and are you glad that HBO is finally getting a chance to deliver on this product? Be sure to share some of your thoughts right now in the attached comments. (Photo: HBO.)