Unveiling the Real Reason Quentin Tarantino Turned Down Justified: City Primeval

Summary

Timothy Olyphant reveals why Quentin Tarantino didn't direct any episodes of Justified: City Primeval.

Tarantino considered directing a few episodes of the sequel miniseries, but had to back out due to his wife's pregnancy.

Justified: City Primeval premiered on July 18 and is currently airing.

Timothy Olyphant, the star of City Primeval, has shared the reason behind Quentin Tarantino's absence as a director in the new series. City Primeval, a sequel to the six-season FX series Justified based on Elmore Leonard's stories about Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (played by Olyphant), premiered on July 18. Although Quentin Tarantino, a renowned director who recently collaborated with Olyphant on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, had considered directing a few episodes of the series, it did not come to fruition. Olyphant recently discussed his career and the Justified: City Primeval miniseries on an episode of Happy Sad Confused (which was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike).

Quentin Tarantino's decision to withdraw from potential involvement in the project was discussed by Olyphant, who revealed that the idea was conceived during a casual conversation over margaritas. While Tarantino expressed interest in directing episodes 4 and 7, his inability to do so was due to his wife being pregnant with their second child. Below is Olyphant's complete statement:

"He came close to directing it. We were enjoying margaritas... He had asked about an actor from Justified, and I found it amusing because we were actually preparing for a revival of the show."

He utters, "Leave immediately," and I respond, "Absolutely!" He then inquires, "May I take charge of that?" To which I reply, "I believe there won't be any issues. [laughs] I can make a favorable recommendation..."

After that, he perused the scripts. I inform him, "You cannot direct the initial one... Michael Dinner has already claimed it." Thus, I suggest, "Perhaps you'd like to read them." Upon reading them, he exclaims, "I desire to work on the fourth one... May I continue reading?"

Quentin Tarantino's Television History Explained

I responded with a simple "OK," and he eagerly exclaimed, "I want to take on the seventh one." The entire team was filled with excitement. However, our joy was short-lived as his wife soon became pregnant with their second child. This meant that he couldn't leave Israel during this crucial time to direct our show. We sadly had to accept his decision as it was difficult to argue against such a valid reason. Nevertheless, his dedication to fatherhood is commendable and it bodes well for him and his children.

Although Tarantino is known for being selective about his directorial projects, preferring to limit himself to 10 movies before retirement, his eagerness to helm episodes of Justified: City Primeval is surprising. It is worth noting that this is not the first time he has ventured into television directing. In 1995, he directed an episode of ER, and in 2005, he took on two episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Television episodes and segments in anthologies, such as Four Rooms, Sin City, and Grindhouse, do not seem to be included in Tarantino's count of his directed works. Despite billing his upcoming title The Critic as his tenth and final movie, this leaves room for the possibility that he may direct more television in the future.

Although Tarantino was not involved in Justified: City Primeval, his interest in the project could potentially lead to his direction of future seasons or spinoffs if they are approved. Even if this doesn't happen, there is still a chance that Tarantino may work on television episodes or miniseries in the future, especially if he remains true to his intention of not directing any more feature-length movies after The Critic.

Source: Happy Sad Confused

Justified: City Primeval airs on FX Tuesdays at 10PM.