Paramount+ has released a teaser trailer for the Yellowstone spinoff Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and it gives us our first look at the new Taylor Sheridan-produced western series. It features David Oyelowo in the role of Bass Reeves, the real-life figure who was the first Black U.S. deputy marshal to serve in the territories beyond the Mississippi River. This is only a 20-second teaser, but I’m sold! It looks great!
The series is said to be an anthology series that will focus on a “different frontier hero with each go around.” Bass Reeves was known as “the greatest frontier hero in American history and also believed to be the inspiration for ‘The Lone Ranger.’ He worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”
When talking about starring in the series, Oyolowo said: “I can’t tell you how many times in shooting the show I just found myself walking into either a daydream I had, either as a kid playing cowboys when I was younger, or even as an actor in the eight years I’ve been trying to get this thing made.”
He also said: “The stories Jess and I want to tell are boundary-busting and full of folks the likes of whom we have seldom seen on screen. The extraordinary story of Bass Reeves exemplifies just that. To collaborate with world-class talent like Taylor Sheridan to tell those stories to the widest audience possible, is our dream, and we believe that can and will be realized through the shared ambitions we have with ViacomCBS and its signature branded platforms, alongside our seasoned and brilliant producing partners at 101 Studios.”
The rest of the cast includes Dennis Quaid as Sherrill Lynn, a Deputy U.S. Marshall; and Barry Pepper will star as Esau Pierce, “the leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles and a battle-tested warrior himself.” Garrett Hedlund takes on the role of Garrett Montgomery, “a so-called posse man of the era who Bass hires for his riding know-how and expertise of the area.” The rest of the cast includes Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck, Shae Whigham, and Grantham Coleman. Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plenty has also joined the series.
Donald Sutherland also recently joined the series and will play Judge Isaac Parker, “an imposing and commanding judge in the Fort Smith Courthouse with a complicated legacy.”
Lawmen: Bass Reeves is created for television by Chad Feehan, who also serves as showrunner, and it’s currently filming in Texas. I also included some photos from Vanity Fair.
