'Deadwood' movie has a script, now HBO just needs to get the cast back together

The long-gestating Deadwood movie is one step closer to our screens, according to HBO programming president Casey Bloys. Bloys confirmed that he has finally read a finished script from show creator David Milch.

"The one thing that I was concerned about was that I wanted a script that would stand on its own; that if you were a Deadwood fan it would make you happy, and if you had never watched Deadwood you could still enjoy it," Bloys said during HBO's presentation at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday. "I’m happy to say David totally delivered on that -- it’s a fantastic script."

But there are still a couple of roadblocks to the sequel movie getting a greenlight, Bloys cautioned.

"If we can do it for a budget that makes sense for us; and find a director — we’re talking to a few folks; and we can get the cast together -- which is no easy task because everybody is all over the place -- we’re inclined to do it, but we have to get over those hurdles. But the good news is, the script was terrific."

Indeed, many of Deadwood's top cast members are currently appearing in other projects: Ian McShane is the lead on Starz's American Gods, Timothy Olyphant stars on Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet, and Kim Dickens is one of the leads on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead.

Still, a two-hour movie is a much more manageable in terms of scheduling than a full TV series revival, especially when actors are on cable or streaming projects with shorter season orders, as opposed to a broadcast network's 22-episode commitment, and members of the cast have frequently expressed their desire to reunite for a movie if Milch was involved.

So while it might be premature to dust off your cowboy hat and saddle up, a return trip to South Dakota isn't as far off as we might've thought.