AMC is filming a new Western to fill the place of the departed “Hell On Wheels.”
“The Son” will debut next year, starring Pierce Brosnan.
From Cowboys & Indians Magazine:
Based on Philip Meyer’s acclaimed novel, the series is described by AMC as a multi-generational epic that tells the story of America’s birth as a superpower through the bloody rise of one Texas family. The first 10-episode season will compare and contrast parallel narratives in two different time periods. In one, we’ll follow the story of young Eli McCullough after he is kidnapped and indoctrinated into a tribe of Comanches in 1849. In the other, set 60 years later, we’ll see a grown Eli struggle to maintain his family’s cattle empire during the turbulent Bandit Wars of South Texas.
Brosnan will portray the elder Eli, charismatic patriarch of the McCullough family. As an adult, he applies the brutal Comanche worldview to his business dealings. He was born on the day Texas became an independent Republic, earning him the nickname “First Son of Texas.” But he is viewed by many as a relic of the Wild West. And, truth to tell, Eli is uneasy with the inexorable taming of Texas and the uncertain future of his legacy.
The novel did not blow me away as so many people seemed to expect it would, but it should make a good series. There’s certainly plenty to work with in he history the novel covered, and the racial politics of the whole business are resonant with contemporary times.
I think the novel was acclaimed in part because it revealed history most folks are unfamiliar with in a family-drama kind of way that people found compelling. I am pretty familiar with the history, so it may not have seemed as “fresh” as it did to some. And it was hyped as something approaching McCarthy, which it ain’t. In any case, I will be interested to see it brought to the screen. An awful lot of good storytelling going on on the small screen these days.
Keith West says
I’ve been a fan of Brosnan since Remington Steele, so I’ll try to catch this one. Thanks for the heads-up.
JimC says
He made a pretty good Bond, too.
Rick Schwertfeger says
I am a “Yankee Texan,” having lived in Austin for 26 years and counting. I, too, am quite familiar with the history. But I did like “The Son” quite a bit. Here’s hoping that they do a great job on the series.
JimC says
I should probably re-read it without being influenced by the “YOU’VE GOTTA READ THIS BOOK; IT’S PERFECT FOR YOU!” hype. I think I put unreasonable expectations on it. I was expecting to react like I did to reading “All the Pretty Horses” for the first time, or Blake’s “The Pistoleer.”
Rick Schwertfeger says
Jim, “All the Pretty Horses” is my favorite novel; a truly great American novel; and a work of high art. I certainly agree that “The Son” doesn’t rise to that level. But I enjoyed it a good bit.
JimC says
Just picked up The Son on audio to revisit it while I drive The Nugget van tonight.
john roberts says
Brosnan is no stranger to Frontier Partisan roles. In the 1993 movie “The Broken Chain” he played Sir William Johnson, the fabled Anglo-Irish nobleman who became the most important link between the British and the Iroquois League, trusted by both sides, who learned to speak the Mohawk dialect of Iroquoian and for many years was a both military and diplomatic leader in British-Iroquois relations.
JimC says
Yes! Totally forgot about that movie. There was a brief Last of the Mohicans-inspired spate of Eastern Frontier movies in the 90s.
Wayne says
I’ve recommended it before, but I’ll do it again. For a novel that covers some of the same time period plus WWI, I urge you to read Remember Ben Clayton by Stephen Harrigan.
JimC says
Yep. It’s on the stack.