Tarantino’s Justified Revival Is Better Than His OUATIH Spinoff

Quentin Tarantino’s potential involvement in the Justified revival is a much better idea than his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spinoff. The FX neo-Western crime drama based on Elmore Leonard’s books ran from 2010-2015, winning two of its eight Emmy nominations. Timothy Olyphant will return as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in a Justified revival limited series, and Tarantino is reported to be in early talks to direct one or two episodes.

Justified follows Raylan Givens who, as punishment for a public shooting while tracking down a criminal, is forced to relocate from Miami to his native Kentucky. There, Raylan must confront his own anger while facing childhood friend-turned-criminal Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). The acclaimed show both honors and subverts many Western tropes, making it a perfect fit for Tarantino, whose Once Upon a Time in Hollywood explored Rick Dalton’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) declining Western stardom.

In Rick Dalton’s fictional filmography, he rose to fame playing Jake Cahill on the Western show BountyLaw. While making the movie, Quentin Tarantino became so enamored with the world of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that he even planned a TV spinoff devoted to Bounty Law. Although it’s a fun idea, Tarantino directing the Justified revival would effectively fulfill his desire to make a Western show and holds far more narrative potential than the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spinoff. It would also reunite him with the world of Elmore Leonard and an underused Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star in Olyphant, while it’s doubtful DiCaprio would return as Rick Dalton/Jake Cahill.

Titled Justified: City Primeval and based on another Leonard novel, the revival will pick up several years after the original finale and bring Raylan to Detroit. There’s considerable potential to explore how Raylan has since evolved, and his modern-day cowboy persona fits well with many of Tarantino’s protagonists. The director previously adapted Elmore Leonard’s work with Jackie Brown and Justified can deliver on Tarantino’s best unmade movie, Forty Lashes Less One. Leonard’s work is characterized by his dark sense of humor and dialogue-driven narratives, bearing similarities to Tarantino’s extended conversations and violent yet comedic movies. Justified certainly doesn’t need the director to succeed, but Tarantino can help elevate the revival to better separate itself from the original series. Justified‘s TV format might also fix Tarantino’s problems with pacing. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was criticized by some for its long, meandering narrative. Creating a spinoff might be an extension of this flaw.

Tarantino reportedly was inspired to write Bounty Law after seeing what could be achieved in the half-hour format of old Western shows. It’s unclear if he crafted a compelling story, or if Tarantino’s Bounty Law was just an interesting experiment for him to indulge his own interests. Conversely, Justified: City Primeval is being made by some of the original show’s writers. Tarantino joining the revival could remind him how to deliver a tight narrative within a specific timeframe. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood contained many enjoyable but unnecessary diversions, such as Rick Dalton’s struggle filming Lancer with Timothy Olyphant’s James Stacy. Directing the Justified revival would enable Tarantino to expand on a promising working relationship with its excellent star, hopefully providing a new spin on Raylan’s renegade form of justice. Meanwhile, it’s unclear if Rick Dalton actor DiCaprio would be interested in making Bounty Law, whose brief stint as Jake Cahill was amusing but teased little more dramatic potential than a standard crime procedural. Working within the confines of a 1960s-style Western also contradicts Tarantino’s style, inhibiting his ability to showcase the mature content Justified would allow.

Can Bounty Law provide a gripping series or is Tarantino simply reluctant to move beyond his fondness for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? He already outlined Rick Dalton’s career in the movie’s novelization and another as-yet-unpublished book. Quentin Tarantino joining the Justified revival is far better, allowing him to marry his pulpy violence with the rich, darkly comic world of Timothy Olyphant’s Raylan Givens.

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