Man, it’s late…particularly for a guy who’s still on East Coast time. But I wanted to offer up a few quotes from today’s HBO presentations before I hit the sack.
Revelations from Richard Plepler (HBO Co-President) and Michael Lombardo (President, Programming Group and West Coast Operations):
* The reputed two-hour “Deadwood” movie is “possible,” says Lombardo, but “we’re going to have to schedule them in a way where we’re going to have to bring back an entire array of actors, many of whom have moved onto other shows. Molly Parker, I think, is on a new series; Tim Olyphant is doing movies. That’s one reason we decided to do movies as opposed to a season: that may be a shorter schedule, but it’s do-able. It will just be daunting. If David (Milch’s) game for this, and we can figure it out, we’re going to figure it out.
* On the “Sopranos” finale, Plepler says, “I actually called Ilene Landress and Carolyn Strauss and thought that they had withheld from me the final 50 seconds. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ She said, ‘No, that’s the ending!'”
* On the delay between the last two “Sopranos” seasons, Lombardo admitted, “the truth of the matter is waiting a year and a half between shows…I think we’ve discovered it’s probably not ideal for the viewer.”
* Of the “Sex and the City” movie, Lombardo says, “I read the script, and I can’t wait to buy a ticket; I think it continues the journey of those women into their 40s and pushing 50s ina really smart ‘Sex and the City’ way,” and Plepler adds, “It’s fun. It evolves the story, and I think that no fan will be disappointed when they see it.”
* On “Preacher,” Lombardo assures fans of the Vertigo comic that an HBO adaptation is absolutely still possible, and that “it’s on the hot list of one-hour dramas for us.”
* And Plepler’s take on the “Sopranos” finale…? “I think what happened is that David (Chase) was saying simply, “Reap what you sow,” and this is a guy who is going to live a life of eternal vigilance, looking over his shoulder always, never being sure for his safety or his family’s. And you have to ask yourself, given all the machinations that he went through to get where he was, has it all been worth it? That’s what I think.” (Adds Lombardo, “And I don’t know, because my TV went out.”)
Okay, I’ve GOT to get some sleep. More tomorrow, folks…
