Epix has placed an order to bring the 1990 Elmore Leonard novel and 1995 movie adaptation to the network. Get Shorty joins a list of past and current projects making the transition to the small screen.
The story revolves around Miles Daly, a no-nonsense guard working for an established crime ring based in Nevada. After realizing the profession’s dangerous nature thanks to his daughter, Miles pursues a new career as a movie producer – albeit still breaking the law through money laundering. The troubled father ultimately remains attached to his criminal tendencies while working in Los Angeles.
Davey Holmes is overseeing the project and will also serve as executive producer. Meanwhile, MGM (originally in charge of the film) will also produce the series through MGM Television.
“We’re excited to be working with MGM on Get Shorty,” Epix CEO Mark S. Greenberg said in a statement. “I had the pleasure of working with Elmore Leonard early in my career and I am a big fan of his writing. Davey Holmes is a tremendous talent and has created a fantastic new series that is in the spirit of Leonard’s unique brand of social satire and strong narrative voice. Get Shorty promises to be yet another example of the type of high-end, premium TV that EPIX is committed to delivering to its subscribers.”
MGM Television’s Mark Burnett added: “Davey has created a modern-day re-envisioning of Elmore Leonard’s timeless cult classic where organized crime and Hollywood collide in very funny ways. We are thrilled to bring these irreverent characters to fans and audiences around the globe with our fantastic partners at EPIX.”
Get Shorty is one of several original series being produced for Epix, others including political drama Graves as well as Berlin Station. Production will start this fall with a tentative summer 2017 debut.