Cinemax Orders Contract Killer Drama Pilot Based On Max Allan Collins’ ‘Quarry’ Books
 

Cinemax Orders Contract Killer Drama Pilot Based On Max Allan Collins’ ‘Quarry’ Books

Cinemax has given a pilot order to Quarry, a drama project based on the series of novels by Max Allan Collins (Road To Perdition graphic novel). Written by Graham Gordy and Michael D. Fuller, Quarry is set in the 1970s and centers on a Marine sniper who, upon his return home from Vietnam in 1973, finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. Combat-hardened and disillusioned, he’s recruited into a network of contract killers and corruption spanning the length of the Mississippi River. John Hillcoat is set to direct the pilot, co-produced by Anonymous Content. Hillcoat, Gordy and Fuller, all Anonymous clients, executive produce with Anonymous’ Steve Golin, David Kanter, Matt DeRoss and Keith Redmon. The Quarry pilot order comes on the heels of Cinemax renewing its freshman drama Banshee for a second season. Both Banshee and Cinemax’s first original primetime series, Strike Back, which had been picked up for a third season, started off with direct-to-series orders. Last year, Cinemax gave a pilot order to drama Hurt People, whose feature was put in limbo when star/executive producer William Petersen exited.

My sister used to date his son.

My good friend, Graham Gordy, who I posted about writing his new series, Rectify, in another thread is a writer on this. He's extremely excited.

FYI:

Just talked to my buddy, and he said the lion's share of the pilot is set in Kansas City, which is pretty cool. Said that may change, though, depending on where they end up actually shooting.

hope it doesn't change. This sounds like it could be really good.

Just a head's up that this has been wrapped finally and will be coming in early 2016. They went ahead and approved an 8 episode series instead of the pilot.

I had said that it's mostly set in KC, but I know they did most of their filming in Louisiana... so not sure if the KC thing still holds true. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to Graham in a while because he's been pretty busy with the filming. I think they may have reset it in Memphis, though (sorry KC).

Reminds me I haven't watched the second season of Rectify yet. First season your friend was involved with writing was very slow burn, character driven and I rather enjoyed it.

First teaser released. Looks freaking awesome:

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Bumping this. Release date set back to September. The writers just got named by Variety as 10 writers to watch in 2016.

http://variety.com/gallery/tv-writer...#!6/undefined/
Michael D. Fuller and Graham Gordy- “Quarry”
Patience paid off for Gordy and Fuller. The writing duo pitched their ’70s-set thriller “Quarry” to HBO executives back in 2012, and it will finally premiere this fall on Cinemax.

The slow burn fits an intriguing series that combines the character-driven elements of SundanceTV’s critically acclaimed “Rectify” [on which Gordy and Fuller were writers for the first season] with the gritty action angle Cinemax has turned into a brand.

“We sparked to the tremendous possibilities of this character returning from war and dealing with the effects of that trauma at a time when there wasn’t an acronym for it,” Fuller says of the show’s hero, Vietnam vet Mac Conway [played by Logan Marshall-Green in a breakout performance].

“We were very interested in the era, the early ’70s,” Gordy adds. “The original idea was that this was the best era for feature films of anything we knew.”

“Quarry” is inspired by a series of novels by Max Allan Collins that Fuller found surfing Amazon’s “readers also liked” recommendations. A fan of Collins’ work, including “Road to Perdition,” Fuller took the material to Gordy and the pair discovered the rights were available. Collins ultimately wound up scripting one of the first season’s eight episodes.

Arkansas native Gordy and South Carolina native Fuller met in college through a mutual connection at NYU’s playwriting program. They quickly bonded over a love of college football and television [their first TV project was an AMC pilot set in the world of college ball, that ultimately didn’t go to series].

Fans of TV’s new golden era touchstones like “The Sopranos” and “The Wire,” they’re bringing those influences to “Quarry.” As Fuller say, “It was intriguing to us to say, ‘What if you did something in the way “Mad Men” uses the era so deftly to be a commentary on where we are now, and you have that driving criminal narrative [of] “Breaking Bad” that makes you lean up in your seat because you’re invested in the characters and their journeys.’”

Finally coming on the 9th some very favorable early reviews
http://deadline.com/2016/09/quarry-r...eo-1201812740/

Seeing Logan Marshall-Green reminds me, what ever happened to Will Traveller?

First two episodes of Quarry are available on youtube, if you don't have Cinemax:

Episode 1:
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Episode 2:
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Thought you might enjoy

http://blacknerdproblems.com/quarry-recap-figure-four/

Hah. That's awesome.


Curious if anyone has bothered to watch? Still getting really positive reviews for the most part.

I love this show, the writing is very good and the acting is really spot on. The guy who plays Quarry does a fantastic job of playing a combat vet who is conflicted by what he has done and what he has to do to pay off the debt.

I'm actually kind of surprised at how critical a lot of the reviews are.

It seems like they focus on how plodding, dark, and dated they found it, when they could as easily have used more positive adjectives like brooding, raw and atmospheric.

One of the most striking things in the first two eps, for me, is the subtle nuance of Joni's accent. Not merely a passable broadly 'southern,' it a good central Louisianan.

Also love Dewey Crowe/Buddy. It's clearly and unambiguously Herriman, but the the hairstyle is somehow clearly Southern, yet vaguely menacingly eastern European.

Loved the Dolly and Porter at the end of ep 3. Heard that at least once a week on the HiFi growing up

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Best episode yet, and apparently I'm the only one watching.

Wonder if the author had read NCFOM prior to penning this episode, or if the directors had it in mind making it. There was a definite vibe from it entering the existing framework.

I'll get to watch tonight. Been out of town all weekend.

Curious exactly what sections of NCFOM you felt it paralleled? Just the killer/shade hotel/etc. side of things?

And yes, I know that Graham, at least, is a pretty big Cormac McCarthy fan. He's literate as hell. The Quarry novels predate McCarthy, though, I believe... but the series is pretty loosely following the novels from what I understand.


Anyway, that opening visual was pretty awesome in this episode. Also love all the vintage Razorback/Arkansas clothing, since the characters were taking refuge in Arkansas.

More atmosphere than plotting
Southern husband and wife tossed into deadly situation mostly but not totally against their will.
Patriarchal notion of taking care of everything/don't worry your pretty head, despite having an ally with an iron spine of her own.
Seedy motel hideout and improvised safeguards/distractions
Ominous portent of ordinary people and things
Laconic pace while danger and safety hide in plain sight.
Inteliigent, methodical and dogged pursuer.

You're not the only one watching, I really dig this show. There was real power when Joni grabbed Mac's hand as he's walking out of the bathroom.

Book Club with Buddy and Karl ROFL

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Best episode of the season. The dialog was top notch, in addition to the plotting.

Season finale was FIRE. Lots of new plot wrinkles and twists in who exactly the Broker is (CIA?). Also: the first heroin lab in Vietnam that was in the catacombs. Definitely looked like same location as Carcosa on True Detective. Going to have to text my buddy, Graham, in the morning and find out.

That medley morphing from Bird on a Wire to See the Light during the bar confrontation was subtly beautiful, and perfect for the singer's voice and style.

Hi.

Have you seen any of Black Mirror Baby Lee?

I saw parts of the pig ****er and the future dorm where everything runs off credits. That's about it. Hear it was good, but haven't had time.

Turns out Cinemax youtubes videos for the songs in Quarry

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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0rU-9TjWgX0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I haven't seen ANY - but it came highly recommended.

Confirmation that it's the same location as Carcosa on TD.

Any way to find out if there's going to be a Quarry soundtrack?

Probably not a high profile enough property to be profitable, but it's a perfect fit.

I'll ask. As of now, HBO can't get their shit together, so they haven't even been offered for more episodes. They're looking at trying to take it to another station/venue soon.

Glad to hear that you appreciate the music. Graham is a huge music fan, and it's really important to him. He'll be thrilled that people appreciate and acknowledge the choices.