Elmore Leonard, renowned novelist, screenwriter and creator of TV characters including “Justified’s” Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, passed away Tuesday morning.
Leonard, who spoke at PromaxBDA: The Conference 2011 about his 10 rules of writing, is responsible for countless stories that have graced the big and small screens including “3:10 to Yuma,” “Desperado,” “Get Shorty” and FX’s current hit show “Justified.” He reinvented the crime thriller genre with fresh characters and an added literary earnestness that have pervaded his works from “The Big Bounce” to “Be Cool.”
Speaking at PromaxBDA: The Conference 2011 about his rules of writing, his 50-year career and adapting for TV, Leonard praised directors like Quentin Tarantino, who understood his writing best and knew how it should be treated. He also added that Timothy Olyphant, who plays Raylan Givens in “Justified,” is as close to the written character as Leonard could imagine.
According to The Wrap, “Justified” paid tribute to Leonard with the following:
“We were blessed by the time we got to spend with him and we will miss him. Our thoughts are with his family. Take it easy, Elmore,” said “Justified” creator Graham Yost, star Timothy Olyphant, and the show’s cast and crew.
“PS,” they added. “We wrote longer versions of this statement, but as Elmore always said: Leave out the parts people tend to skip.”
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