Timothy Olyphant: Justified hero Raylan Givens may return in new FX series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Based upon the novels of Elmore Leonard, Justified was a contemporary western series that starred Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a Deputy U.S. Marshal enforcing his own brand of justice in eastern Kentucky. The series remains one of my absolute favourites and Olyphant's portrayal of Givens is pitch-perfect, not only that, but the series finale of Justified wrapped things up perfectly with a simple conversation between Givens and Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) that managed to encapsulate what the show was all about.

Variety has reported that Justified creator Graham Yost is developing a new series for FX that is based on Elmore Leonard's novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, but the most intriguing part of the report is a tidbit which states that Timothy Olyphant might reprise his role of Raylan Givens in the series. It's important to note that the project is still in the very early stages and no deals have been made, but Olyphant could have a starring role in the series or something less significant. Either way, it would be a thrill to see Olyphant back in action as Raylan once again. The novel deals with Clement Mansell, a killer known as the "Oklahoma Wildman," and Raymond Cruz, a dedicated Detroit homicide detective who vows to take him down.

Graham Yost will executive produce the new series, with fellow Justified writers and executive producers Michael Dinner and Dave Andron set to co-write, executive produce, and serve as co-showrunners. Peter Leonard of the Elmore Leonard Estate will also executive produce alongside MGM. As fun as it would be to see Timothy Olyphant back as Raylan, I'm hesitant to get really excited considering how well Justified wrapped everythiing up.