It’s been teased that Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) could die in the upcoming revival Justified: City Primeval, and here are some other big theories about the lawman’s return. Originally based on the Elmore Leonard short story “Fire in the Hole”, Justified ran for six seasons between 2010 and 2015. The revival series, subtitled City Primeval will also adapt an Elmore Leonard story, but the original novel of the same name didn’t feature the character of Raylan Givens. This means that all bets are off with regard to Raylan’s ultimate fate in the new miniseries.
Teasing the new series, Dave Adron, Justified: City Primeval‘s showrunner teased “Raylan could die” by the end. Adron takes over showrunning duties from Graham Yost, who’s currently working on Silo for AppleTV+. Dave Adron was a writer on the original Justified series, so his teasing of the high-stakes nature of City Primeval shouldn’t be dismissed. Here’s how Raylan could die in the upcoming Justified revival, alongside some other big theories for the new show.
10 Raylan Givens Could Die In Justified: City Primeval
The original novel City Primeval builds to an old-fashioned standoff between homicide detective Raymond Cruz, and the so-called “Oklahoma Wildman”, Clement Mansell. Raylan Givens survived multiple standoffs across Justified‘s six seasons, but his luck could run out eventually. Raylan’s luck nearly ran out in the Justified season 6 finale when he faced off against Boon (Jonathan Tucker). Although both men were stricken in the gunfight, Boon would have fired the final kill shot if Loretta McCready (Kaitlyn Dever) hadn’t intervened.
Like Boon, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook) in Justified: City Primeval is described as an unrepentant killer, who delights in violence. As in the original novel, both men will presumably face off against each other in a final showdown, with just one man emerging as the victor. Dave Adron’s tease could just be building hype for the Justified revival, but with such an evenly-matched foe, Raylan could easily be walking into his last gunfight.
9 Justified: City Primeval’s Clement Mansell Kills Winona
The logline for Justified: City Primeval refers to a “chance encounter on a desolate Florida highway” which sends Raylan into the path of Mansell. In City Primeval, it’s Clement Mansell’s senseless murder of a judge that triggered Detective Cruz to challenge the Oklahoma Wildman to an old-fashioned duel. This suggests a worrying possibility that the Justified revival has swapped the source novel’s Motown judge for a Floridian court stenographer – Raylan’s ex-wife, and the mother of his child, Winona Hawkins (Natalie Zea). Harrowing as it might be, it would make sense for Winona’s death to inspire Raylan to question his life of violence and his responsibilities as a father.
8 The Tonin Family Will Return In Justified: City Primeval
The Detroit mob played a big role in Justified from season 3 onward, and as City Primeval is set in the Motor City, it’s possible that they could return. Detroit mob boss Theo Tonin (Adam Arkin) was last seen in prison, but a lot of time has passed since then. The original Elmore Leonard novel sees Clement Mansell attempt to extort money from an Albanian gangster. It’s therefore possible that the extorted gangster in the Justified adaptation has links to the Detroit mob and Theo Tonin. Raylan’s willingness to bend the rules to capture Mansell could even see him and the Detroit mob on the same side in City Primeval.
7 Boyd Crowder Won’t Feature In The Justified Revival (But He’ll Be Mentioned)
Walton Goggins’ Boyd Crowder was Justified‘s most compelling antagonist, but he won’t appear in City Primeval. Boyd is most likely still in prison, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to meet up with Raylan in Detroit. More practically, Walton Goggins’ commitments to The Righteous Gemstones and the Fallout TV show would likely have clashed with City Primeval‘s troubled shooting schedule. However, it has been teased that some old favorites will at least be referenced in the new series. It’s likely, therefore, that Boyd will be referenced at some point in the course of Raylan’s Detroit-based investigation of Clement Mansell.
6 Justified’s Raylan Givens Is No Longer Relevant In The 2020s
The teaser trailer for Justified: City Primeval shows Raylan Givens rescuing his trademark 10-gallon hat from the path of a Detroit city bus. The incongruous sight of an older Raylan in an industrial city suggests that his old-fashioned outlook might not fit with the big city. City Primeval‘s creative team has acknowledged they’ll address real-world discussions about the role of law enforcement in the 2020s. Throughout Justified, Raylan’s old-school approach to justice was routinely criticized by his colleagues, regularly landing him in hot water. Amidst the current discussions about excessive force in law enforcement, those criticisms of Raylan will ring louder in City Primeval.
5 Wynn Duffy Is Justified’s Other “Wildman”
It was once said that high-ranking member of the Dixie Mafia, Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns) was said to have a “wildman” reputation in Detroit. Although Duffy was last seen fleeing Kentucky in the Justified finale, it’s possible that he gets called back to Detroit 15 years later. Especially if the actions of Clement Mansell have aroused the ire of the Detroit mob, with whom Duffy has a long history. A calculating and charismatic gangster, Duffy’s “wildman” ruthlessness could see him placed on either side of Raylan’s confrontation with the “Oklahoma Wildman”, depending on where his own interests lie.
4 Neal McDonough’s Robert Quarles Will Return For City Primeval
Detroit gangster Robert Quarles (Neal McDonough) was the main villain in Justified season 3, and his fate was never fully confirmed. In the season 3 finale, Quarles had his arm severed in Limehouse’s abattoir, and collapsed to the floor, bleeding out. In a 2015 interview with Uproxx, Graham Yost confirmed that Quarles was still alive and there had been plans to bring him back. However, Quarles’ likely prison sentence made his comeback too difficult to realize. Over 15 years after he lost his arm, the brutal Detroit gangster could be back home and placed on a collision course with his nemesis Raylan Givens.
3 Willa Givens Is Justified: City Primeval’s Loretta McCready
Raylan’s paternal relationship with wayward youth Loretta McCready in Justified suggests he’ll have been a good if slightly overbearing father to his daughter for these past 15 years. Willa Givens (Vivian Olyphant) is one of the few confirmed returning characters in City Primeval, even if she was a baby in the original series. Willa is one of the reasons that City Primeval is set 15 years after the Justified finale (including the epilogue’s four-year time jump) because Willa’s approaching adulthood ties in thematically with the story of Raylan’s advancing years and upcoming retirement.
2 Justified: City Primeval’s Villain Could Have Links To Raylan’s Past
In the original novel, Clement Mansell is a killer who has realized how easy it is to get away with murder. The synopsis for Elmore Leonard’s book states that “the Oklahoma Wildman crossed the line long before this latest outrage“. In adapting the novel for Justified: City Primeval, the writing team may have perceived of a way to tie one of these outrages to a crime from Raylan’s past. As Raylan Givens will also be reconciling with his past misdeeds, it’s possible that Mansell simply reminds him of the skeletons in his own closet.
1 Raylan Givens Will Make It Out Of City Primeval Alive
The full title for the original Elmore Leonard novel is City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, and was intended as a contemporary update of the classic Western movie. It’s fitting, therefore, to put Leonard’s most famous wild west lawman into the 2023 adaptation of the story. Looking deeper into Gary Cooper’s 1952 Western High Noon could yield some clues as to Raylan Givens’ ultimate fate in the Justified revival. At the climax of High Noon, Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) survived the final showdown with his nemesis Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald). So surely Raylan can do the same, allowing Timothy Olyphant to return for more Justified.
High Noon also offers clues as to how Raylan and his daughter Willa’s relationship will play out in Justified: City Primeval. The central conflict of High Noon is between Marshal Kane and his new wife Amy (Grace Kelly). He’s forced to choose between a new life of peace in a new town, or abandoning his community to a violent criminal. Raylan’s relationship with his daughter Willa could form a similar conflict in Justified: City Primeval. Raylan being torn between his old-school sense of justice and his responsibilities as a father would be a fascinating way to continue the story of Elmore Leonard’s iconic character, and could perhaps finally give him some peace.
