Lawmen: Bass Reeves Showrunner Says Mimicking Yellowstone "Didn’t Cross My Mind"
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Taylor Sheridan's flagship show, Yellowstone, may be coming to an end, but Sheridan still has plenty of projects lined up, including executive producing a Paramount+ series centered on iconic Old West lawman Bass Reeves.
While details about the long-gestating show have been under wraps for a while, in September, Paramount+ finally revealed that the series will debut its first two episodes on the streaming service on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
They later unveiled the first official trailer for the show, which gives us a closer look at all of the gunslinging action ahead. Watch the trailer below:
In an interview ahead of the premiere, Chad Feehan, who serves as both a creator and showrunner on the series, opened up about the show, and Sheridan's legacy of Yellowstone. When asked about trying to mimic the wildly successful ranching drama, Feehan told the New York Post that it, "Didn’t cross my mind, to be honest. I was purely guided by telling the best story I could tell, and by honoring Bass Reeves."
He added, "Taylor and I have been in the same orbit for many years. He recommended me to David [Oyelowo]. I’m incredibly grateful to both of them for entrusting me. Taylor gave me a lot of freedom and autonomy to not only tell this story, but [to] produce the show."
Sheridan wasn't completely hands-off on the series, though. Feehan explains that the Yellowstone creator, "Came in at key moments and sprinkled some magic storytelling dust for us," including an emotional reunion from the pilot that the showrunner called "one of my favorite scenes in the episode."
Here's everything we know so far about Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
What's the show about?
The series will tell the story of Bass Reeves, a real life lawman who became the first Black U.S. Marshal in the American west and was the purported inspiration for the character The Lone Ranger. Per the series's synopsis, the show "will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, 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."
The summary adds, "Lawmen: Bass Reeves is an anthology series with future iterations to follow featuring other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history."
"Bass Reeves was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life at an extraordinary time in America's history," star and co-producer David Oyelowo explained to EW. "He was enslaved, he went on to fight in the Civil War, he escaped enslavement during that time, lived with Native Americans for a number of years where he learned a bunch of skills that became applicable when he went on to be a deputy marshal, and had a career that spanned nearly 40 years in law enforcement."
David Oyelowo will star as the titular marshal.
Known for roles like his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 2014's Selma, Oyelowo has been attached to the project from the beginning to play the titular role of Bass Reeves. The actor and will also serve as an executive producer on the series through his Yoruba Saxon Productions.
"The stories Jess [his wife and creative partner Jessica Oyelowo] 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," Oyelowo said in 2021 when the show was first announced.
In August 2023, he told Vanity Fair, "Our show really focuses on African Americans, Native Americans, and white Americans at that time. Two of those people had not that long ago come to the American continent—one group stolen, another group leaving what they deemed to be oppression—and then another group having their land stolen from them. That is why the West was so lawless." He added, "Every one of these groups of people were coming from a place where they felt they had been done [wrong] and were seeking a kind of justice of their own. If you want to talk about a dramatic backdrop for telling a story, it doesn’t get more volatile than that time in this country’s history."
"[Reeves] famously had over 3,000 arrests, but had less than, I think, 20 people that he shot and killed," he noted, "That’s not nothing. But within 3,000 arrests, it’s miraculous. I think that’s indicative of his desire to be fair, his desire to not abuse his power because he had been subjected to that as an enslaved person."
The first photos have been released.
In August 2023, Paramount+ debuted the first look at the project with some official photos.
Lauren E. Banks stars as Bass's wife, Jennie Reeves.
"What I love about both characters is that love is very central to not only their relationship and their family, but thematically for them throughout the show," Oyelowo told Vanity Fair. "They go through some pretty rough patches—there’s no question. But that love is the magnet, and it’s really the reason for Bass to stay alive."
Alongside Oyelowo, Shea Whigham (Perry Mason) plays as George Reeves, who once enslaved Bass.
"[Bass] found himself fighting on the Confederate side, so he’s already starting from an incredibly schizophrenic place, from an identity point of view." Oyelowo said. "Then he escapes that situation and is living with Indigenous Americans and learns a lot of the skills that he goes on to apply to being a lawman from them, but also learns a lot about who he is outside of being enslaved."
Barry Pepper plays Esau Pierce, the leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, who becomes a nemesis of Reeves's.
As well as Bass's wife, Jennie, his daughter, Sally Reeves—played by Demi Singleton—also features on the show.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves has an impressive cast.
Alongside Oyelowo as Bass Reeves, a number of names have been attached to the project. Here's the cast (main, recurring, and guest stars) that has been announced so far:
Donald Sutherland as Judge Isaac Parker, an imposing and commanding judge in the Fort Smith Courthouse with a complicated legacy
Dennis Quaid as Sherrill Lynn, a deputy U.S. Marshall
Lauren E. Banks as Bass Reeves's wife Jennie
Demi Singleton as Bass Reeves's daughter Sally
Forrest Goodluck as Billy Crow, a young Cherokee man
Barry Pepper as Esau Pierce, the leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles
Grantham Coleman as Edwin Jones, an "extremely persuasive man" with a vision for the future
Shea Whigham as Col. George Reeves, the "incredibly cruel master" of Bass Reeves
Garrett Hedlund as Garrett Montgomery, a man hired by Bass Reeves
Mo Brings Plenty as Minco Dodge, a Choctaw Native American and friend to Bass Reeves
Dale Dickey as Widow Dolliver, "an old woman who has seen it all"
Margot Bingham as Sara Jumper, a Black Seminole Native American
Tosin Morohunfola as Jackson "Jackrabbit" Cole, a former Union soldier turned prisoner who rides with Bass
Joaquina Kalukango as Esme, a former enslaved woman
Lonnie Chavis as Arthur Mayberry, a young boy enamored with Bass Reeves's daughter
Rob Morgan as Ramsey, a "once-strong man broken by time"
Ryan O’Nan as Darrell Dolliver, one of the two Dolliver outlaws Reeves is tasked with tracking down
Justin Hurtt-Dunkley as Ike, a deputy U.S. marshal
"One of the joys of this show has been populating the cast with truly great actors who can embody the time," Oyelowo told EW. "There are actors who have something contemporaneous about them, and then there's actors like Dennis Quaid, Shea Whigham, Barry Pepper, Forrest Goodluck, and Lauren E. Banks who sort of feel like they've been here for a long time. And I'm not talking about their age, I'm just talking about that sort of primal feeling. It's been amazing to have these sets, have these costumes, and then have these actors that, you know, if you squint and block out the cameras, you do feel like you've somehow found yourself in a time machine and that's been a real joy."
It's been in the works for a while.
Oyelowo has been trying to get a Bass Reeves project made since at least 2015, the actor revealed to Vanity Fair. "We went out with the project twice over the course of about two to three years, and the first time around, the entire industry said, ‘No, we’re not doing that because no one’s doing Westerns.’ And then the second time around, the entire industry said, ‘No, we’re not doing that because everyone’s doing Westerns.’"
The show was first announced in 2021 and, at various points, it has operated under the title 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, Bass Reeves, and currently, Lawmen: Bass Reeves. While it was reportedly once intended to spin off from the previous Yellowstone prequel 1883, but those plans appear to have been scrapped.
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