TNT Dallas Remake! Larry Hagman Reprises Role of JR Ewing in Dallas Reboot

TNT announced this week that Larry Hagman , at 79, will reprise the role of JR Ewing in TNT's Dallas Pilot. Linda Gray who played Sue Ellen Ewing, a former Miss Texas, and JR's wife in the original series signed on late last year as did Patrick Duffy who portrayed JR's handsome goody-goody younger brother.

The original Dallas series aired for 13 series from 1978 to 1981, and centered on the Ewing family and their business Ewing Oil. Southfork, a ranch on the outskirts of Dallas was home to the Ewing family headed by Jock Ewing and his wife Ellie. Two of their three sons, JR, the oldest and Bobby the youngest and their wives resided at the ranch, as well as Lucy, the daughter of the third Ewing brother, Gary, who lived in California with his wife Valene (they were the central characters in Knott's Landing, a Dallas spin-off series). Ray Krebs the Southfork ranch hand would in future seasons be revealed to be Jock Ewing's illegitimate son, the result of an affair he'd had during World War II.

The series premiered with enough secrets and conflict to sustain it through 13 years of Ewing Oil wheeling and dealing, and Ewing family scandals and drama. The opening scene saw Bobby Ewing and his new wife Pamela returning to Southfork to share the news of their nuptials. Bobby and Pam's Romeo and Juliet style relationship was sure to ruffle a few Ewing feathers, as Pamela was the daughter of patriarch Jock Ewing's nemesis, Digger Barnes, and brother to Cliff Barnes who was to go head to head against JR in the business arena, more than once over the 13 year run of the prime time soap opera.

To add more fuel to Ewing family discord, JR and Bobby continually battled on a business front, a natural consequence of their personalities. JR, a womanizing, cut-throat business man was driven by profit whereas Bobby's nature was more altruistic and he strived to do what was right, over amassing profits. Jock and Ellie's preference for their son Bobby also pitted JR against Bobby, as he fought for his parent's approval if not favor.

The TNT Dallas reboot, is built on a similar premise, with the key characters of the original Dallas, JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen filling the older generation roles. Dallas 2.0, however, is slated to revolve around their children.

John Ross Ewing III, the son of JR and Sue Ellen, born in 1979, and Christopher Ewing, the adopted son of Bobby and Pam will fight not only for control of Ewing Oil, but for the affections of the same woman, Elena. Elena is the daughter of Southfork's cook, which means there will be no escaping the drama, for the blood cousins. (Christopher is the son of Kristin Shepard, Sue Ellen's sister).

The roles of John Ross and Elena have been cast with Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) and Jordana Brewster (The Fast and The Furious). The part of Christopher Ewing is yet to be cast.

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