Dallas: Production Begins & Larry Hagman’s Still Feisty

Production has begun on the Dallas series that’s being produced for TNT. The pilot was filmed earlier this year and I spoke with Patrick Duffy about the original cast’s involvement in the new series. Duffy told me that Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and he are all signed for all 10 installments (which includes the pilot). We later learned that Cliff Barnes (Ken Kercheval) will return to cause trouble.

Hagman was recently diagnosed with a cancer but doesn’t plan on letting treatment keep him from shooting the show. he said, “As J.R. I could get away with anything — bribery, blackmail and adultery — but I got caught by cancer. I do want everyone to know that it is a very common and treatable form of cancer. I will be receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series. I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love.”

Here’s a press release about the start of filming as well as some video footage that shows that Hagman is just as feisty as ever:

Battle for Energy, Power, Love and Money Rises Again As TNT Starts Production on New Series Dallas

TNT began production this week on the first season of the eagerly anticipated new series Dallas, from Warner Horizon Television. J.R., Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing are all back at Southfork, with plenty of secrets, schemes and betrayals in mind. This time, they’re joined by the next generation of Ewings, who take ambition and deception to a new level. The battle for power, love and the control of Southfork will erupt again when TNT premieres the new Dallas next summer.

TNT’s Dallas stars Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) as J.R. Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing’s son, John Ross, who is determined to undermine his grandmother’s legacy by drilling for oil on Ewing land. Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die) is Christopher, Bobby’s adopted son, who hopes to take the family business in the new direction of alternative energy sources. Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious movies) plays Elena Ramos, John Ross’ girlfriend and Christopher’s former love. Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) is Rebecca Sutter, Christopher’s fiancee, who is trying to find her place in the vast Ewing family tree. And Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) is Ann, Bobby’s wife, whose beauty and grace are matched by a fierce resolve to maintain peace within the family.

Joining this fresh new cast are the iconic stars from the original Dallas. Larry Hagman is J.R. Ewing, whose plots and schemes over the years have threatened to destroy his entire family. With an increasingly volatile feud now brewing between John Ross and Christopher, the stage is set for J.R. to return to his nefarious ways and rekindle the long-standing rivalry with his younger brother. Patrick Duffy plays Bobby Ewing, the new family patriarch, who will stop at nothing to keep John Ross and Christopher from perpetuating the family battle that tore the Ewings apart for so many years. Linda Gray is Sue Ellen Ewing, John Ross’ mother, who hopes to see her son take his rightful position as head of the family.

Shot on location in the title city, Dallas comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television, with pilot writer Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin serving as executive producers. TNT’s Dallas is based upon the series created by David Jacobs.

To launch the start of production, cast members will provide Twitter updates using the hashtag #tntbackontheset.

About Warner Horizon Television
Warner Horizon Television (WHTV) is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of scripted series for the cable marketplace and primetime reality series for both network and cable. Founded in 2006, this second production entity allows the Warner Bros. Television Group to expand its programming offerings and explore creative options made possible under a new business model. WHTV’s current unscripted series are The Voice for NBC, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad and Take the Money and Run for ABC and Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew for MTV. Scripted programs from WHTV are Rizzoli & Isles and the forthcoming Dallas for TNT, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game for ABC Family and Longmire for A&E.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells; as well as the upcoming series Major Crimes, Dallas and Perception. TNT also presents compelling original movies, including a slate of thrillers set to premiere this fall in The TNT Mystery Movie Night showcase. TNT is the cable home to powerful dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting next year, Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

The series is scheduled to debut sometime next summer on TNT.

What do you think? Are you planning to watch the new Dallas? Do you think it’ll remain faithful to the original?