Michael Dinner is a well-known name in the television industry, with a long history of directing popular shows like The Wonder Years and Early Edition. He has been involved in Justified since its early days, directing eight episodes of the original series. In recent years, Dinner has taken on more writing responsibilities, co-writing an episode of Justified in 2015 and serving as co-showrunner of 2017’s Electric Dreams. When the decision was made to revive Justified and original showrunner Graham Yost was committed to an Apple TV+ deal, Dinner and Dave Andron stepped up to become co-showrunners of Justified: City Primeval.
The concept for Justified: City Primeval originated from Dinner’s exploration of Elmore Leonard’s 1980 crime novel, City Primeval. He initially started writing a pilot that stayed true to the source material, focusing on the characters Raymond Cruz and Clement Mansell. However, fate had a different plan when Timothy Olyphant, who played Raylan Givens in the original Justified series, and Quentin Tarantino showed interest in adapting City Primeval around the same time. They saw it as an opportunity to continue Raylan Givens’ story. With the alignment of visions between Dinner, Andron, Olyphant, and Tarantino, Justified: City Primeval was born.
Tarantino’s fondness for Leonard’s work and his previous adaptation of Rum Punch into Jackie Brown made him a perfect fit for the project. The team took a chance and asked Tarantino if he wanted to direct an episode of the limited series. Although it wasn’t their initial intention to involve him, Tarantino loved the pilot or the first two episodes that Dinner and Andron sent him. He offered notes on multiple episodes, especially episodes three and four, which he had planned to direct. Unfortunately, he had to back out due to personal reasons, but he remained a cheerleader for the project.
Dinner also shared some insight into working with Olyphant, particularly during scenes with his real-life daughter, Vivian Olyphant. These scenes added an extra layer of authenticity and emotion to the series.
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Additionally, Dinner recalled a terrifying experience on set when a real-life car chase and shoot-out collided with their filming location. It was a chaotic and unexpected turn of events, but everyone on set handled it with professionalism and safety.
The origin story of Justified: City Primeval involves collaboration, coincidence, and a shared love for Elmore Leonard’s work. Dinner’s exploration of City Primeval, Olyphant and Tarantino’s interest in adapting it, and FX’s enthusiasm for a Justified revival all converged to bring the series to life. Despite Tarantino’s departure as a director, his involvement and support influenced the direction of the show. Justified: City Primeval promises to be a thrilling continuation of the Justified universe, with a fresh twist on Leonard’s iconic crime novel.
