When Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan first announced Bass Reeves, fans were confused. Who is Bass Reeves? Was he a Yellowstone character I forgot about? Well, you can rest at ease, cowboys. Bass Reeves may have existed in the 1880s, but he’s not from the Yellowstone universe. Reeves was a real figure in American history, and the first Black U.S. deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River. Saddle up, because this new series may contain some history we ought to know.
When Sheridan finished 1883, producers over at the Paramount Network were mighty angry that he wrote it so that there couldn’t be a second season. As Sheridan told Deadline, they wanted to hold a meeting to discuss how certain characters may have survived their deaths, so Sheridan worked up “another peek into the window” instead. “They’re like, there better be a fucking Season Two because we already picked it up,” he recalled. “I’m sitting here going, ‘Guys, everyone is dead.’” Bass Reeves will be another peek inside that era. It won’t include anyone from the cast of 1883, however, because it’s not tied to the Yellowstone universe at all.
First Look: David Oyelowo is #BassReeves, a slave who became a legendary U.S. Marshal, in ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves,’ a new series from #Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. https://t.co/9SeYJVL04G
Advertisement— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 8, 2023
Selma’s David Oyelowo will star as Bass Reeves, alongside Dennis Quaid as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sherrill Lynn. The first-look photos for the series were just released by Vanity Fair, depicting Oyelowo’s cowboy getup and 1883-esque set design. “I’ve been trying to get this one made for over eight years now—and I have Taylor to thank for rejuvenating the Western,” Oyelowo told Esquire back in May. “He’s really an inspiration in terms of what’s possible when you have passion, when you have talent, and when you somehow have the energy that he has. So it’s been a really great ride.”
Working from 1838 to 1910 as a gunslinger and lawman, Reeves was said to have recorded over 3,000 arrests during his lifetime. Many historians believe that Reeves would later go on to be partial inspiration for the “Lone Ranger.” The series will reportedly run for eight episodes on Paramount+ later this year. So, it may be a bit before we see the legendary lawman on our screens. Until then, there’s always plenty of Sheridan’s Paramount shows, such as Yellowstone, 1923, Special Ops: Lioness, Tulsa King, and Mayor of Kingstown, to feast your eyes on.