Dallas Finally Does Dallas, or: They Started Shooting J.R. Ewing (and Family) This Week

Photo by Zade Rosenthal, courtesy Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc.

Father and son: Larry Hagman and Josh Henderson on the set of Dallas yesterday

​TNT's crack publicity department sends word: Production began on that next-gen Dallas this week -- 21 hours ago, or thereabouts, from the looks of Jordana Brewster's tweet. And despite Larry Hagman's cancer diagnosis, revealed late last week, J.R. Ewing was indeed there for first call; so too brother Bobby, Patrick Duffy, seen on set after the jump. Perhaps you'll run into the cast downtown or in the Cedars, near Jack Matthews's studio; shooting, of course, will also take place at Southfork. And they'll be here for a long while.

For those needing a refresher of the plot this go-round, TNT offers this synopsis:

Patrick Duffy, back in Dallas

​TNT's Dallas stars Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives) as J.R. Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing's son, John Ross, who is determined to undermine his grandmother's legacy by drilling for oil on Ewing land. Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die) is Christopher, Bobby's adopted son, who hopes to take the family business in the new direction of alternative energy sources. Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious movies) plays Elena Ramos, John Ross' girlfriend and Christopher's former love. Julie Gonzalo (Veronica Mars) is Rebecca Sutter, Christopher's fiancée, who is trying to find her place in the vast Ewing family tree. And Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives) is Ann, Bobby's wife, whose beauty and grace are matched by a fierce resolve to maintain peace within the family.

Joining this fresh new cast are the iconic stars from the original Dallas. Larry Hagman is J.R. Ewing, whose plots and schemes over the years have threatened to destroy his entire family. With an increasingly volatile feud now brewing between John Ross and Christopher, the stage is set for J.R. to return to his nefarious ways and rekindle the long-standing rivalry with his younger brother. Patrick Duffy plays Bobby Ewing, the new family patriarch, who will stop at nothing to keep John Ross and Christopher from perpetuating the family battle that tore the Ewings apart for so many years. Linda Gray is Sue Ellen Ewing, John Ross' mother, who hopes to see her son take his rightful position as head of the family.

And how long does it take to shoot nine episodes (the full order is for 10 eps, including the already-finished pilot)? Says Cassie Bryan, who's handling publicity for the series shoot: "Until the end of January."