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CBS has put in development Have Gun – Will Travel, a reboot of the 1957 CBS Western drama, to be penned by writer/director/playwright David Mamet. Mamet is set to direct the potential pilot, which will be produced by CBS TV Studios. He is executive producing with agent-turned-producer Elliott Webb.
Have Gun – Will Travel, whose title plays on a line commonly used in personal ads, aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963 and also spawned a successful radio version. Its producers included Frank Pierson, and one of its main writers was Gene Roddenberry who would go on to create Star Trek. Created by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow, Have Gun starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a top-notch gunfighter who preferred to settle problems without violence but stood his ground when provoked. (Watch the opening sequence below)
Have Gun – Will Travel brings Oscar-nominated writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Mamet back to CBS where he created his only TV series to date, military drama The Unit, which ran for four seasons. ICM Partners-repped Mamet most recently wrote and directed the upcoming HBO Phil Spector movie starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren. This is the second classic series CBS is looking to reboot this season along with The Brady Bunch, whose revamp is produced by Vince Vaughn. Last year, the network developed a remake of 1958 Western drama The Rifleman, but the project didn’t make it to pilot.
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A lot of show-runners have attempted this over the years. I wish Mamet luck. Could be cool and different.
yes – sounds good – but at CBS will be competing for 1 of 4 possible pick ups. And they also announced a high profile drama from De Niro, O’Russell and Danny Strong. CBS sniffing for BEST DRAMA EMMYS!!!
That’ll be tough. Just being on CBS automatically gives you a certain stink.
Remember this series well and with great fondness for the acting as well as the writing, even as a high schooler. Thought Richard Boone particularly suited to the roll. Will be interesting to see how they cast the part, and if they give him a bit more back story, as he was fairly one-dimensional. In fairness, high drama on the small screen was somewhat in its infancy at the time. Audiences far more sophisticated in their choices for that kind of evening fare these days. At least the ones (like myself) who prefer the scripted kind. Please no more “reality”. Live it, don’t need to watch it.
And please no more reboots and remakes of great classic tv shows, we have had enough, it is no better.
Leave it in the past and find something new for a change.
I remember how much my parents loved HGWT. I liked The Unit. In Mamet’s hands, this just might work.
Wow, love this show on the Western Channel. Can’t wait to see who they cast to replace Richard Boone. That will be a tough one. Maybe they’ll get another guy got kicked out of Stanford. LOL
1/2 drama! Yes! I ve wanting to bring this genra back for years.
It won’t be a half hour it will be a one hour show.
The question is, will it be an attempt to bring the Western genre back to the broadcast networks or will they attempt to modernize the show?
With Mamet behind this, I am hopeful that they will cast an actual adult in the lead, versus yet another boy-with-attitude which seems to be the common default choice.
I rather see Mamet adopt The Brady Bunch for CBS…”always be closing the f-ing fridge, Alice!”
LMAO. That is a show I would watch.
I hope this goes to series. Can’t wait to see the casting on this one.
Who’d make a good Paladin?
It’s too bad Mamet’s status as an outspoken conservative has led to him getting blackballed by liberal Hollywood, and….oh, wait.
He’s David Mamet. They really tried to make him toxic for straying from the path, but it didn’t work.
Well, I see CBS going back to Australia to cast Paladin like A&E had to for Longmire. Can’t see any of Hollywood’s boy/men doing the role.
I think a western could still work on network TV, but if they go for a Justified/Longmire vibe, both of which are “modern” westerns, I could accept it.
Oh, and I know the perfect casting for Paladin -
Johnathan Banks (Mike on Breaking Bad)
A bit long in the tooth to be living rough in the wild west! Does he have a son? or grandson?
This is a terrific idea. Just don’t make Paladin some twenty-something pretty boy. He needs character borne of a life lived, and lines in his face.
If Jon Bernthal didnt have the lead in LA Noir, I’d suggest him for this. At least him, nobody can accuse of being a Hollywood pretty boy!
Have Gun Will Travel from a personal ad? It’s from work-wanted ads. “Looking for work on an entertainment blog. Have own book of American idioms. Will travel.”
If anyone can pull off a HGWT reboot, it’s Mamet.
If Russell Crowe was will willing to work for TV money, he’d be perfect for Paladin – he can do the grizzled, tough-yet-sophisticated thing well. In fact, since he’s aged into his face, he has the edgy look of a Boone type.
I keep thinking about how good he was in the 3:10 to Yuma remake and wondering why he doesn’t do more Westerns.
This sounds way better than The Brady Bunch reboot I read about recently.
With all the crap on tv now it would be nice to start bringing back westerns of the adult variety where character and morality were its hallmark. However people often laugh at me when I claim that tv back in the fifties and sixties was still better than today.yet Hollywood, ever bankrupt of new ideas keeps going back to that time for remakes of shows that are considered classics today. Except for hawaii 50 none make the grade because of their uniqueness.They tried the Honeymooners, Wild West and others, but failed casue they couldnt use a Jackie Gleason or Robert Conrad who WERE the leads. No one today has the gravitas of a Richard Boone or could present the world-weariness he projected as that character. And somone mentioned back story? There was a very modest one, but the air of mystery is what helped make the character of Paladin.the Rifleman didn’t work because Chuck Connors is in the ground…..Yet do put on more westerns before all these inane reality shows destroy the intellect of any viewer who wastes his/her eyesight on them!!!
Doesn’t CBS already have a Wild Wild West reboot in development?
TV is getting as sick with remakes as movies.
This would make a great block of western drama at CBS if HGWT and The Rifleman ever come to fruition. But haven’t heard any more about The Rifleman since last summer. Make it happen CBS! In the meantime love watching the reruns on Encore Westerns Channel and AMC.
Not sure about this — this was a fave as a kid, and while it dealt with more adult material than most shoot em ups of the time, I just worry how ‘modern’ someone today will try to make it. Anyway, casting will be key — I agree with one of the commenters above that it has to be a more mature actor in the lead — Paladin has been there and done that more than most men, and his face needs to show that. Guess we’ll see.
Thomas Jane would be good in the role and he has the Richard Boone squint down perfect.
Sign me up!
Outstanding news for Mamet and HGWT fans (of all generations)! But will probably not be a boost to local production (Hollywood) as all our western streets are long gone, except for the remnants of Universal’s, as are most of the equally vital location ranches. Perhaps New Mexico, Canada, or Arizona will be the beneficiary.
Richard Boone as Palladin is still on Cox on the Western Channel I never miss it. It always has a tight well written script, good character development and actors. The simple, yet heuristic, morality tales that most times are included are not preachy; but developed within the story by the well thought out characters. And most of all is entertaining.