Get Shorty is the latest feature film of yesteryear to get adapted for TV

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

GET SHORTY was one of those films that took place during the renaissance period of John Travolta's rebirth in the mid-90s. Based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name, the film centered around a loan shark who decided to make a transition in his life away from organized crime and into Hollywood. It was one of those moderately budgeted films ($30 million) that became a fall hit for MGM ($115 million domestically) – you know, the kind of movies we don't see get made too often in the current landscape.

Naturally, that means it's the perfect type of project to be adapted again, this time for television, with Epix picking up a series order for the concept. Davey Holmes (SHAMELESS and IN TREATMENT) is behind the adaptation and will exec-produce the show for MGM Television. A debut in summer 2017 is being eyed, with production set to begin later this year in the fall. 

“We’re excited to be working with MGM on Get Shorty,” said Epix President and CEO Mark S. Greenberg. “I had the pleasure of working with Elmore Leonard early in my career and I am a big fan of his writing. Davey Holmes is a tremendous talent and has created a fantastic new series that is in the spirit of Leonard’s unique brand of social satire and strong narrative voice.  Get Shorty promises to be yet another example of the type of high-end, premium TV that EPIX is committed to delivering to its subscribers.”

Now, while an attempt to re-enter this same world didn't turn out to well with the 2005 sequel BE COOL, that doesn't mean the idea of GET SHORTY as a TV series can't work. Both the movie and book are very smart as far as source material to be mined go, so, with the right approach, Epix may have something on their airwaves to make people say to themselves, "Hey, what the hell channel is Epix anyway?"