"I need your clothes, your boots, and directions to your nearest watering hole."
Like a tumbleweed drifting on a dry wind, word has reached Deadline that Amazon is in the process of developing a Western event series called OUTRIDER, with action star Arnold Schwarzenegger attached to star and executive produce alongside Mace Neufeld, executive producer of Amazon’s upcoming series Tom Clancy’s JACK RYAN starring John Krasinski.
OUTRIDER is a mystery set in the Oklahoma Indian Territory in the late 1800s. It tells the dark and dangerous tale of a deputy who is not only tasked by a notoriously brutal judge with apprehending a legendary outlaw in the wilderness – but must also partner with a ruthless Federal Marshall to make sure justice is properly served. And as the story unfolds, not only will enemies become allies, but a series of unpredictable surprises will blur the line between good guys and bad.
For the new show co-written and executive produced by Trey Calloway (THE MESSENGERS, CSI: NY), Schwarzenegger will play the Federal Marshal who immigrated to the US from Europe as a child.
If all should come to pass, OUTRIDER will be makred as THE TERMINATOR star's first major scripted TV series role. Not too shabby for the 70-year-old former governor of California, eh? I can already see images in my mind's eye of Schwarzenegger strolling around the prairie in a big, brown coat, his itchy trigger finger looking to dispense some justice. Do you think the show will feature an elaborate chase on horseback, complete with explosions? I certainly hope so.
We'll be sure to bring you more news on the development of OUTRIDER as it becomes available.