Netflix Greenlights 'Lonesome Dove' Series From Kazan & Stuart — SkimNews
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- Netflix greenlit a straight-to-series adaptation of Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1986 novel "Lonesome Dove," with Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart attached as writers and executive producers.
- Teton Ridge Entertainment acquired the Lonesome Dove literary franchise rights in February, brought in Kazan and Stuart, and landed the package at Netflix by early May after a competitive bidding situation; a four-month rights clearance process delayed the formal greenlight.
- "Lonesome Dove" is envisioned as an ongoing series following former Texas Rangers Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call on a cattle drive from the Rio Grande to Montana, departing from the contained four-part structure of the original.
- Kazan and Stuart previously co-ran Netflix's "East of Eden" limited series starring Florence Pugh, which premieres Oct. 1; Netflix Head of Scripted Series Jinny Howe said the streamer 'wanted to follow Zoe and Jeb wherever they went next.'
- The original 1989 CBS miniseries, starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, drew roughly 26 million viewers and won a Peabody, seven Emmys, and two Golden Globes.
- McMurtry's novel, published in 1986 by Simon & Schuster, sold over 4 million copies and spent 24 consecutive weeks on the NYT hardcover bestseller list.
Why it matters: Netflix is leveraging its Kazan-Stuart partnership fresh off their 'East of Eden' work to anchor another prestige literary adaptation, while Teton Ridge — a studio focused specifically on American West stories — gets its flagship franchise onto a major streamer. Structuring 'Lonesome Dove' as an ongoing series rather than a contained limited run departs from the 1989 CBS miniseries' four-part format and opens the door to expanding the broader McMurtry literary universe.
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