Netflix has produced some killer original series over the years that have covered just about every genre. One genre that had gone unrepresented was the Western. Luckily for fans itching for some outlaw action from the streaming service, a Western series is in the works at Netflix. The show will be called Godless and star a pair of TV greats who should make it an adventure worth watching.
Godless will star Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever as key players in the limited run series, according to THR. The show will be set in the late 19th century and revolve around outlaw Frank Griffin (Daniels) as he hunts down his pal-turned-enemy Roy Goode. As Roy evades capture, Frank ends up in a mysterious small town in New Mexico that just so happens to be filled with all women after the menfolk died in a mining mishap. He meets Mary Agnes (Wever), who is the assertive widow of the deceased mayor of the town.
Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever are both proven talents on the small screen. Daniels won an Emmy for his role as Will McAvoy on HBO's Newsroom. In addition, he was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award, and a Screen Actors Guid Award for the twenty-five episodes he spent on Newsroom. Wever also has an Emmy to her name thanks to her role on Showtime's Nurse Jackie as Zoey Barkow, and she had a memorable run as Schmidt's temporary lady love Elizabeth on New Girl. Her character of Denise was tragically killed off in Season 6 of The Walking Dead, but it seems that Denise's death may have been for the greater good if it opened Wever up to join Godless.
Other key characters have been cast for Godless in addition to Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever. Jack O'Connell of Unbroken fame will play Frank's target Roy, and Jeremy Bobb of The Knick and The Wolf of Wall Street will play newspaper editor A. T. Grigg. Thomas Brodie-Sangster of Maze Runner and Game of Thrones is on board as well. He'll tackle the role of a brave deputy. Given that Thomas Brodie-Sangster barely looks much older now than he did as a precious youngster back in Love Actually in 2003 and he is best known now for playing teenagers, it should be interesting to see how he does at playing a real adult for Godless.
Godless has been created for Netflix by Steven Soderbergh and Scott Frank. The two men will write, direct, and executive produce Godless with the help of veteran producer Casey Silver.
The new Netflix Western is only in the early stages of production at this point, so we will probably have a while to wait until we get to see Jeff Daniels and Merritt Wever in action on Godless. Still, between the stellar cast and capable producers, we have reason to be optimistic about what's to come. To see what you can watch the pass the time until Godless is available, check out our summer TV premiere schedule, and don't forget to take a look at our breakdown of the ten greatest Netflix originals .
