The post Civil War world is about to be explored in BBC America’s new season of Copper, but Starz also has its sights set on a tale of the 1860s. The subscription cable network has partnered up with Straw Dogs director Rod Lurie to tell the tale of the Comanche Wars and a troop of soldiers that are having trouble getting along. Starz is currently developing the project, which is rolling with the title Monsters of God.
Whereas Copper is a tale of New York City, Monsters of God will be set in Texas in 1867. The project will focus on two Army gentlemen who are opposites but work together well as a leadership pair. As per the network's teaser blurb, one of the two men is a “war-hungry colonel” and the other of the two men is a “by-the-book executive officer.” The war is a tough and brutal one and the two men are tasked with maintaining control over the soldiers in the unit, despite the uncivilized territory and other more personal issues that pop up.
The Comanche Wars began in the early 1700s with raids in New Mexico and continued for well over a hundred years, until the Comanche yielded their claim over territories as varied as Texas and parts of Kansas and New Mexico, which didn’t occur until the late 1870s. Lurie is actually a West Point graduate who studied the wars during his tenure in school and during his subsequent time in the Army. This means he should be a good fit for a project as historically detailed as Monsters of God. He will also executive produce alongside Marc Frydman.
With Starz’s other battle-based series, Spartacus, ending its run recently, there’s definitely room for another bold and epic tale about gruesome fighting on the subscription cable network. What’s left to be seen is whether Monsters of God will approach the popularity of that departed program and turn into something Starz wants to pursue over the long haul. We’ll keep you updated as Monsters of God moves forward.
