If the title “Get Shorty” sounds familiar, it is because it was also a movie that served as Elmore Leonard’s first adaptation of the book with the same name. This movie, which starred John Travolta, was widely considered to be a film adaption that was actually as good as the book. We all know how difficult that is to accomplish. The title now also belongs to a new upcoming television series on EPIX. The show was written and produced to take the strong content from an exceptional source, Elmore Leonard and bring to the television screen in hopes of recreating the magic that was created in the movies. If you are not familiar with the series and its production, there are probably a lot of things that you don’t know about the show.
Here are five interesting facts about “Get Shorty” that you didn’t know.
1. The Geographical Setting Has Changed
In the book and the 1995 film adaption, the loan shark, Chilli Palmer, was from Miami, and in the new series, the loan shark is based out of Las Vegas. While this may present a challenge for fans of the book and the film adaptation, the television producers and writers believe that they have the creativity and originality to make the geographical shift work to their advantage. One challenge that this shift makes is that the trip from Vegas to Los Angeles is not that emphatic.
2. The Timing is Right for Ray Romano
All geographical challenges being considered, the timing of this series premiere could not be better for what of the series stars, Ray Romano, who happens to be heating up the movie screen with “The Big Sick.” The success of “The Big Sick” in Hollywood can easily be translated into energy and interest in the show and Romano’s character. Romano plays Rick Moreweather, a movie producer that has recently hit hard times and needs a financial charge to put him back in the center of all of the happenings.
3. When the Illusions of Hollywood Meet the Criminal World
Whether in the movies or in real life, when the criminal world crashes with the illusions that are created and sustained in Hollywood, it seems to create a certain type of magic that provides these unbelievably powerful stories that are supported back drops that are just as intriguing. It is this magic that producers are hoping to capitalize on, but the question that some are asking is whether they can produce the type of chemistry necessary to achieve this over the course of a 10-episode season.
4. Power Alum, Lucy Walters has a Recurring Role
Another element of the series that may provide the momentum that the show needs to find long-term success is its subtle connection to the flaming hot Starz series, Power. One of the show’s alums, Lucy Walters, will have a recurring role in the Get Shorty series playing the estranged wife of Miles Daly, who plays the series version of Chili Palmer. With Power being such a hot show, many fans will like being able to make the connection and tune it to see what it is about.
5. The Show Ventures From Leonard’s Idea
While the show has the potential to be a success, simply based on the star-appeal of its cast, it must be understood that the producers and creators have ventured quite a bit away from the original ideas and realities presented in Leonard’s book and expressed in the 1995 movie. There are points in which this show insists on going dark at the times when the book and the movie turned immensely bright. How this will play out, in the end, is yet to be revealed.
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