An original Yellowstone actor has been cast in 1883’s spinoff series, Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Premiered in 2018, the Paramount Network series initially struggled to gain a substantial viewership but quickly gained popularity during the pandemic. Series creator Taylor Sheridan subsequently expanded the neo-western drama into a franchise with prequel shows 1883 and 1923 and created a separate modern-day crime drama Tusla King starring Sylvester Stallone.
Per Variety, original Yellowstone actor Mo Brings Plenty has been cast in the 1883 spinoff series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Brings Plenty will play a new character named Minco Dodge, described as “a Choctaw Native American and friend to Bass Reeves.” Winter’s Bone star Dale Dickey has also been cast as no-nonsense old widower Dolliver. Run the World Ola actor Tosin Morohunfola will play “former Union soldier turned prisoner” Jackson “Jackrabbit” Cole, who rides with Bass Reeves. The Walking Dead’s Margot Bingham has been cast as a black Seminole Native American ally named Sara Jumper.
What to Expect from Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Silo star David Oyelowo will portray the titular character, a legendary American West figure whose life inspired the series. After escaping slavery during the American Civil War, Reeves found sanctuary with local indigenous tribes until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment guaranteed his freedom. Working as a farmer in 1875, he was recruited as a U.S. Marshall service member, becoming the first Black deputy of the federal law enforcement agency to operate west of the Mississippi River. Due to Reeves’ fluency in several Native American languages, the lawman oversaw various territories occupied by numerous indigenous groups. During his tenure, Reeves arrested over 3,000 criminals without suffering any serious injuries.
Originally announced as a project unrelated to the Yellowstone franchise, the spinoff was later titled 1883: The Bass Reeves Story and described as a limited series. However, the show was retitled Lawmen: Bass Reeves and announced as a recurring anthology series, with each season dedicated to a different famous law enforcement figure. Rounding out the cast is Dennis Quaid as Deputy U.S. Marshall Sherrill Lynn, Lauren E. Banks as Reeves’ wife Jennie, Barry Pepper as leader of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles Esau Pierce, Garrett Hedlund as posse leader Garrett Montgomery, and Donald Sutherland as Judge Isaac Parker.
Filming for Lawmen: Bass Reeves began in October 2022, with Sheridan directing the first two episodes. The remaining episodes will be helmed by Christina Alexandra Voros, a veteran of both Yellowstone and 1883. Despite the show’s filming and new casting updates, no release date has been revealed for the Paramount+ series.