Rumours of a movie version of HBO series Deadwood have been floating around for some time with no solid confirmation, but now the film has actually moved one step closer to being completed.
While there's still no green light for the project as such, in recent weeks HBO have applied for - and received - a tax credit that strongly indicates that they intend to make the western-themed film.
The $4.195 tax credit was issued by the state of California, and it also means that a finished script and financing for the film are also in place, or they would not have been able to apply for the credit in the first place.
HBO president Casey Bloys had indicated in January that they were hoping to begin production this autumn, and with the terms of the credit meaning that production must be underway within 180 days of it being granted, it means that filming should begin by October - providing, that is, the cast are all on board.
All this to say that we may well be finally seeing one of the network's finest series - starring Ian McShane, John Hawkes, Timothy Olyphant and Molly Parker - in its full feature-length glory.