Netflix is heading to Texas, circa the 19th century, for its latest literary adaptation.
The streamer has given a straight-to-series order for a new adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. The drama comes from Teton Ridge Entertainment — which owns the rights to McMurtry’s book and its follow-up novels — and co-showrunners Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart. Kazan and Stuart recently wrapped Netflix’s East of Eden limited series, based on John Steinbeck’s novel.
“After our singular experience on East of Eden, we are thrilled to be teaming with Netflix again, along with Teton Ridge Entertainment, to bring Larry McMurtry’s western classic to life,” Kazan and Stuart said in a statement. “We come to this material with love and respect, and can’t wait to hit the trail with Gus and Call and the rest of these beloved characters.”
Published in 1985, Lonesome Dove was a huge bestseller for McMurtry. It was previously adapted for an Emmy-winning 1989 CBS miniseries starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
“Lonesome Dove is one of the great American stories, and there was no question we wanted to follow Zoe and Jeb wherever they went next,” said Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series for the U.S. and Canada. “After East of Eden, we know exactly what they’re capable of — the depth of character, the sweep of place, the emotional precision. This material deserves that level of care. In their hands, it’s going to be something extraordinary. We’re excited to partner with Teton Ridge to bring this legendary story to life.”
Added Teton Ridge president Jillian Share, “Lonesome Dove is the kind of story that only comes along once in a generation. Its characters, scope and deeply human portrait of the American West have made it an enduring classic, and we see an extraordinary opportunity to bring Larry McMurtry’s world to a new generation of audiences. We’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and for Zoe and Jeb to reimagine this landmark story while preserving the heart and spirit that have made Lonesome Dove so beloved.”
Lonesome Dove is set in the 1870s and centers on former Texas Rangers Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. The logline for the series reads, “McCrae and Call renew their spirit of adventure as they face an uncertain future, embarking on one final, perilous cattle drive from the Rio Grande to the untamed wilderness of Montana in pursuit of a dream that they have perhaps already outlived. They lead an unforgettable cast of characters across the American west in this sweeping odyssey defined by unrequited longing, unbreakable friendship, brutal frontier justice, and an unwavering pursuit of a meaningful life.”
Kazan and Stuart are executive producing the series with Thomas Tull, Share and Jen Gorton of Teton Ridge Entertainment, Jon Jashni, Diana Ossana, and Curtis McMurtry for the McMurtry Estate. Teton Ridge acquired rights to the four novels in McMurtry’s series last year — the other are Streets of Laredo, Dead Man’s Walk and Comanche Moon — with plans to adapt all four.
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