Quentin Tarantino is reportedly in talks to direct some episodes of FX’s Justified revival starring Timothy Olyphant’s Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Based on the work of Elmore Leonard, beginning with the short story “Fire in the Hole,” FX’s series follows Olyphant’s Stetson-wearing lawman as he’s reassigned to his native Kentucky district following a questionable shooting he deems “justified.” In addition to Olyphant, the series' main cast included Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Joelle Carter, Natalie Ze, Walton Goggins, and Jere Burns.

During its six-year run, Graham Yost’s series garnered rave reviews for its writing, direction, and performances. Justified received eight Primetime Emmy nominations, including one for Olyphant as lead, and winning two for recurring stars Margo Martindale and Jeremy Davies. Seven years after airing its last episode in 2015, it was announced a revival/limited series was in the works. Last month, FX confirmed Justified: City Primeval, inspired by Leonard’s novel of the same name, is officially happening with Olyphant returning to star and executive produce. Yost will not be returning as showrunner but the series is being headed by Dave Andron and Michael Dinner, who worked as producers, writers, and directors of the flagship series.

Related: Justified: What Happened To Raylan Givens After The Show Ended

According to Deadline, famed writer/director Quentin Tarantino is in talks to helm one or two episodes of City Primeval. In the past, Tarantino has directed several episodes of his favorite shows, including Motherhood, ER, and CSI. His interest in Justified no doubt stems from his affinity for Leonard, having adapted Rum Punch into Jackie Brown (1997) and optioning several of the author’s other novels throughout his career. For example, Tarantino has talked about adapting Leonard's 1972 Western, Forty Lashes Less One.

Tarantino has repeatedly said that he would only make ten feature films. Afterward, he would turn to other creative ventures like novels and, most likely, television. Many expected the director's next project would be that tenth and final film. For fans of Justified and Tarantino, this news makes a whole lot of sense. Tarantino and Olyphant worked together on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), a film that celebrates '60s Westerns the same way as Raylan Givens’ Stetson. Like Leonard, Tarantino has cultivated a reputation for writing “cool,” suspenseful dialogue full of subtext. Justified is subbing Olyphant’s character in for City Primeval’s original protagonist, but the utilization of Leonard's source material bodes well for the revival.

City Primeval will pick up with Raylan working as a marshal in Miami eight years after leaving Kentucky in the series finale. While balancing his life as a part-time father, work will take him to Detroit—where he must hunt Clement Mansell/The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent sociopath who has proven to be too much for the local authorities. It seems unlikely the revival will heavily feature characters from the original series. That said, Goggins, who also has a history with Tarantino, was arguably as important to Justified as Olyphant. And fans would love to see Raylan and Boyd Crowder together one last time to talk about how they dug coal together.

More: Justified's Revival Could Never Work Without Walton Goggins' Boyd Return

Source: Deadline