At the TCA press tour, Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming, spoke about the future of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Though it won’t be continuing as a TV series, there are plans to continue the story in the form of two movies.
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency ran for seven episodes on HBO, from March until May in 2009. The comedy-drama was filmed on location in Botswana and follows Mma Ramotswe as she operates a detective agency. The cast includes Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, and Desmond Dube.
This weekend, Lombardo said, “We’re talking to our friends at the Weinstein Company about the possibility of, and actually developing two scripts, possibly to do two movies. And if we can get the cast together and if everything can come together we’ve love to do it. So it’s alive.”
If they get the final go-ahead, the two HBO movies would likely be shot back-to-back. It seems they won’t be filmed completely in Botswana however.
It was reported last month that the show’s producers had relocated from Botswana to Cape Town. The Botswana government, hard hit by the recession, balked at the idea of subsidizing film production while South Africa doubled their rebate offer.
If the movies are actually made, they’ll be filmed mostly in Cape Town with occasional lensing in Botswana, the locale where the story is set.
What do you think? Are you a fan of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency? Would you like to see it return as a pair of movies?
Image courtesy HBO.
Please finish, it’s sooooooo good
Just watched this on Netflix and loved it! I think now is the perfect time to bring it back.
Just saw the series through Netflix and wanted more more more…. Hard to believe the series got canceled after only one season. Did they ever make the movies?
Yes!! Please finish the story
I wish they would either bring the seris back out or a movie but I am really upset that it is canceled. I love Jill Scott and Anoki in the series and miss it so much. I just watched it on HBO again but they only show 1 through 7 series.
I watched the series in 2009, and just finished watching it again. What happened to the possible movies? Now would be a perfect time to make one. Seeing the culture in The No. 1 Ladies . . . was so special and makes me appreciate even more what people of color are achieving and makes my heart melt with joy learning, in a small way, about our African American Brothers and Sisters.
Just saw the show for the first time and I love it, so sad there was only 1 season, we should petition HBO to bring it back
Jo Ann, I was a big fan and have missed it all this time. Don’t you think it could come back as a series, maybe on the Own network.
I would like to see it really come back as a regular sitcom.
A most wonderful TV series. I absolutely loved it. And I loved that I got to see Botswana. Why there isnt a season two – or why a company hasnt picked up on this series and finance it – is beyond me. We see such horrible blood thirsty violence ridden shows now – but awesome ‘feel good’ tv shows are lacking. What a shame for us all to miss out on more of this one.
A wonderful series, from wonderful books…I would prefer another season(or three!) on television. Since the last episode, so much has happened to Botswana, and the World; I can’t see how that could be encompassed in a movie format, frankly.
My favourite series so far. I love watching it. Please bring it back, but not as two movies.
Would love to see the series back. Not as interested in just two movies.
I loved the books and I love the series–the characters, the scenery, the acting, the stories. I would rather it be a series than two movies.
Please bring back this show. So good!!!