It’s been seven years since we last saw U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens in the Justified finale, but fans will be happy to know that the wait for his return is almost over. Raylan will ride again in Justified: City Primeval, the highly-anticipated sequel to the FX Original Series.
Justified remains one of the most popular shows FX has ever aired, running for an incredibly successful six seasons, so it’s not at all surprising the network gave the green light for a sequel. You can still catch Justified streaming on Hulu, but if you want to learn more about Raylan’s return to the screen in Justified: City Primeval, here’s everything you should know.
When Is Justified: City Primeval Coming Out?
Justified: City Primeval will have a closed-door world premiere at the ATX Television Festival on June 1, 2023. Almost two months later, on July 18th, 2023 the first episode will air on FX.
Additionally, FX and Hulu’s “one day later on streaming” release plan means episodes will be available to stream the day after they air on FX, so be sure to check Hulu for Justified: City Primeval’s pilot on July 19.
Who Is In The Cast of Justified: City Primeval?
Timothy Olyphant will be reprising his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens for Justified: City Primeval, although he appears to be the only member of the original Justified cast returning for the revival. This isn’t to say we won’t get Walton Goggins making a cameo appearance as Boyd Crowder, the career criminal Raylan put away in Justified’s finale – but officially, it hasn’t been announced.
Justified: City Primeval is introducing a new villain for Raylan to face in Boyd’s absence: Clement Mansell, a sociopathic desperado played by Boyd Holbrook. It’s not Holbrook’s first time playing a cut-throat criminal – in Logan he hunted mutants as Donald Pierce, and in The Sandman he was The Corinthian, an actual walking nightmare.
Other new faces include Alexander Pobutsky (The Blacklist), Yosef Kasnetzkov (Hawaii Five-0), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (The Help), Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby), Vondie Curtis-Hall (The Recruit), and Estavion White (Pictures Only).
Also joining the cast is Vivian Olyphant, Timothy Olyphant’s daughter, who will be playing his on-screen daughter Willa Givens.
Who Is Making Justified: City Primeval?
In addition to starring in the show, Timothy Olyphant will be joining Justified: City Primeval’s crew as an executive producer. Jon Avnet and Michael Dinner, two of the original producers on Justified, will be returning to the sequel as well.
Dinner is also credited as a writer, one of many in what is a truly impressive lineup: Dave Andron, Taylor Elmore, Chris Provenzano, and VJ Boyd, all writers from Justified, will be joined by Eisa Davis (She’s Gotta Have It) and Cole Quirk (Edge of Internment). Andron and Dinner will also serve as Justified: City Primeval’s showrunners.
It was rumored that Quentin Tarantino would direct an episode of the new show after a conversation between him and Timothy Olyphant sparked the idea for Justified: City Primeval, though he eventually backed out for unknown reasons.
What Will Happen In Justified: City Primeval? (Spoilers)
Justified takes its setting from Elmore Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole” and borrows various characters and plot lines from many of Leonard’s other works. And while the overarching plot of the six-season series didn’t follow any of Leonard’s novels, it’s abundantly clear where the show gets its heart. Leonard himself said Justified was one of the best adaptations of his work, which includes titles like 3:10 to Yuma and Out of Sight.
Justified: City Primeval is expected to follow in its predecessor’s tracks. The 8-episode season is said to be based on Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, with characters like Clement Mansell being pulled straight from the novel’s pages.
And while it’s unclear how closely the show will follow the events in the novel, we do know this: fifteen years have passed since Raylan left Kentucky. He’s older and wiser, but the villain he’s facing down in Detroit is chaotic, a “walking calamity” according to Holbrook himself. And he’s a villain with formidable backup – Mansell’s lawyer, Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), is determined to represent him, regardless of how much that puts her at odds with the police.
The stakes have been raised – and it’s important to note that Justified: City Primeval is a limited series. According to the showrunners, there’s no guarantee Raylan will make it out of this one alive.
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