Teton Ridge Acquires Rights to Adapt Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove
The Western genre is experiencing a resurgence with the success of Yellowstone and its Taylor Sheridan-backed spin-offs. In light of this, Teton Ridge has acquired the rights to adapt Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove and the subsequent books in the Pulitzer Prize-winning series. The deal, made with McMurtry’s estate, covers film, TV, and all rights except publishing, which remain with Simon and Schuster. It remains uncertain whether the new adaptation will be a film or for television.
McMurtry’s epic follows retired Texas Rangers embarking on a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Streets of Laredo, Dead Man’s Walk, and Comanche Moon are sequels to Lonesome Dove and were also adapted for TV, with Comanche Moon airing in 2008.
Thomas Tull and Jillian Share from Teton Ridge Entertainment will produce the Lonesome Dove adaptation, alongside Jon Jashni, McMurtry’s grandson Curtis McMurtry, and McMurtry’s writing partner Diana Ossana.
Previously adapted into a critically acclaimed miniseries in 1989, Lonesome Dove starred Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Diane Lane, and Danny Glover, garnering multiple awards, including Emmys and Golden Globes.
Teton Ridge Entertainment, a Western-focused company, holds The Cowboy Channel and The American Rodeo. Recently, they acquired the rights to Louis L’Amour’s novel Fallon, with Crazy Rich Asians writer Peter Chiarelli set to develop the screenplay.
Tull expressed gratitude to the McMurtry family, stating, “Lonesome Dove is an epic work that perfectly embodies the enduring spirit of the American West.” Share added, “We are dedicated to bringing diverse stories within the western genre to life with authenticity and soul.”
Representatives for the McMurtry Estate, Teton Ridge Entertainment, and Ossana are Craig Barker and Sally Helppie, Vincent Chieffo and Steven Peña, and Robert Thorne, UTA, and Anonymous Content, respectively.
The acquisition of Lonesome Dove by Teton Ridge symbolizes a continuation of the enduring legacy of the Western genre in film and television. As viewers anticipate the new adaptation of this classic, the collaboration between Teton Ridge and the McMurtry family promises to bring timeless themes to a new generation of audiences.