Netflix is set to adapt another celebrated twentieth-century novel. The streaming service has joined forces with Zoe Kazan, the creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer of the upcoming The Valley of Eden (based on the eponymous Nobel Prize–winning classic by John Steinbeck), to bring Lonesome Dove to life, a fresh adaptation of the eponymous Western novel by American author Larry McMurtry, published in Italy under the title A Flight of Doves. The project is also attracting Jeb Stuart, the other showrunner of The Valley of Eden.
A Flight of Doves Becomes a Netflix Series: Plot and Statements
Set in the 1870s, Lonesome Dove follows former Texas Rangers Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. The two rekindle their appetite for adventure in the face of an uncertain future, embarking on one last, perilous cattle drive from the Rio Grande to the untamed, pristine lands of Montana, pursuing a dream that perhaps has already faded from sight. In the series, audiences will follow McCrae and Call as they lead a cast of unforgettable characters through the American West in what is described as a “grand odyssey, marked by an unfulfilled longing, an indissoluble friendship, frontier justice in its harshest form, and the relentless quest for a life rich with meaning.”
“After our extraordinary experience with The Valley of Eden, we are thrilled to collaborate again with Netflix and with Teton Ridge Entertainment to bring Larry McMurtry’s classic Western to life,” Kazan and Stuart stated. “We approach this story with love and respect, and we can’t wait to set out on the road with Gus, Call, and all the beloved characters.” Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series for the United States and Canada, added: “Lonesome Dove is one of the great American stories, and there was no doubt we wanted to follow Zoe and Jeb wherever their path would take them. After The Valley of Eden, we know exactly what they are capable of: the depth of the characters, the breadth of the settings, the narrative precision. This material deserves such care. In their hands, it will be something extraordinary. We are excited to collaborate with Teton Ridge to bring this legendary story to life.”
Described by the New York Times as “the great Western novel,” McMurtry’s work, published in 1985, was greeted with immediate critical acclaim and earned the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. An earlier television adaptation, the miniseries Lonesome Dove, had been brought to TV by CBS in 1989.
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