Hillerman, Redford, and the Challenges of Adaptation

with Dr. Ryan Slesinger

March 26, 2026 4 PM CT

 

Over the course of three decades Robert Redford has produced multiple adaptations of Tony Hillerman’s popular Chee and Leaphorn novels. Clearly, his attention was captivated by Hillerman’s Navajo Police mysteries. The current AMC Show Dark Winds (2022) even became Redford’s final project before his recent death. These adaptations are marked by varying levels of success along multiple measurable indices including audience reception, industry resistance, and fidelity to the source texts, to name a few. Because of this, the course of Redford’s Hillerman adaptations becomes a fertile site for excavating the complexities and challenges of adapting a printed text to the screen. This talk will address the history of these adaptations through close attention to both the novels and the screen adaptations.

 

Ryan Slesinger is a Teaching Assistant Professor of English at Oklahoma State University where he enjoys teaching courses on Literature, Screen Studies, and Writing. In Spring 2026 he is offering a course on “Native Literature and Film.” He has been working with the Doel Reed Center since 2023 and has offered multiple leisure-learning courses, as well as a credit-course for OSU students.