U.S. writer David Mamet to helm 'Have Gun - Will Travel' remake

Los Angeles - American playwright David Mamet, known more for edgy dialogue than plot, will executive produce a series for CBS based upon one of TV's first Westerns. Mamet will also direct and take part in the writing of the pilot episode of 'Have Gun - Will Travel.'

The original show, produced by CBS, ran from 1957 until 1963 (there was also a radio show) and starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a tough gunfighter with integrity who had a preference for settling disputes without violence. But when he was pushed? Paladin responded quickly and, if needed, with deadly force. It is the first time that the playwright, essayist, film director and screenwriter Mamet, 64, has ventured into a Western. His only other television was a contemporary military drama called 'The Unit' which ran for four seasons, also on CBS. He wrote the screenplays for films such as 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' and ' The Verdict' and his award-winning career as a stage writer include the American classics 'American Buffalo' and 'Glengarry Glen Ross.' 'Have Gun - Will Travel': 225 original episodes The original 'Have Gun - Will Travel' (variations of that phrase were commonly used in the first half of the last century) totaled 225 episodes, many written by Gene Roddenberry, who went on to create the Star Trek franchise. The character Paladin, sophisticated for the West, had a jet black gunbelt with the symbol of a knight on the holster. There was a rumor on the internet that Eminem was in line to play the lead but to date there's been nothing from CBS to suggest that is the case.