Chris O’Dowd Will Star In The ‘Get Shorty’ TV Series
Earlier this summer, EPIX started working on aGet Shortytelevision show, reportedly based on bothElmore Leonard’s novel andBarry Sonnenfeld’s excellent adaptation. Unlike the source material and the 1995 film, Ernest “Chili” Palmer isn’t the protagonist of this story. EPIX’s adaptation centers around Miles Daly, a former member of the Nevada crime syndicate who will be played byChris O’Dowd(The IT Crowd).
Below, learn more about theGet ShortyTV series.
According toDeadline, O’Dowd is close to finalizing his deal for the “dark comedy,” and MGM has ordered a total of 10 episodes for the series. In negotiations to join O’DowdisRay Romano, who we recently saw in HBO’sVinyl, whichwas canceledafter one season. If a deal is made, Romano will co-star as a burnt out producer of trashy films; he’d play a version of the character first played byGene Hackman.
TheGet Shortytelevision show will make some notable departures from Leonard’s book, but the core of the story mostly remains the same. Sick of his life in crime and wanting to give a better life to his daughter, Miles Daly decides to become a movie producer, by trying to launder money through a Hollywood production. As his checkered past follows him to Los Angeles, Rick (possibly Romano) guides him through “the maze of Hollywood.”
Production onGet Shortyis scheduled to start this fall, with EPIX planning on airing the series next summer.Davey Holmescreated the show, which he’s also writing and executive producing. Holmes produced the lovelyPushingDaisies, executive produces Showtime’sShameless,and wrote several episodes of HBO’sIn Treatment. He also did some writing for the short-livedChicago Code.
We’ll next see O’Dowd in Tim Burton’sMiss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, although he’s been strangely absent from the marketing. The actor has a role inGod Particle, the nextpotential additionto theCloverfielduniverse that’s currently filming.Moone BoyandThe Family Treewere the last two television shows O’Dowd led, and — who could forget? — he starred inThe IT Crowd, a show that only gets funnier the more times you watch it. Considering what a charismatic presence the actor is often, he’s a good choice to play the lead inGet Shorty. Plus, casting someone that isn’t too reminiscent of Travolta’s Palmer may help the show carve out an identity of its own.
