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‘Bass Reeves’: Here’s What We Know About Taylor Sheridan’s New Project So Far

“Bass Reeves” is one of nine projects that “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan currently has in the works at Paramount.

Earlier this week, Sheridan and Paramount executives announced the plan for all these new TV series that would launch in the next few years. One of those shows, “Bass Reeves,” follows the titular character as he polices one of the largest U.S. territories of the 1880s.

In the announcement video, Taylor Sheridan opened up a bit more about the historical figure he’s basing the show on.

“Bass Reeves [was] the first African-American marshall west of the Mississippi,” Sheridan explained. “Policing the entire Oklahoma territory.”

According to Looper, in real life, Reeves escaped slavery during the Civil War and headed west. That’s when he became a legendary U.S. Marshall who apprehended around 3,000 outlaws.

How Will Taylor Sheridan Depict Bass Reeves’ Story?

As far as the show goes, Taylor Sheridan announced that it would be a limited series. That means we can expect between six and 12 episodes in one season. While we don’t have a release date for the show yet, we know it likely won’t launch this year. Sheridan is prioritizing “Yellowstone” Season 5, “1883,” the new prequel series”1932″ and “Tulsa King” starring Sylvester Stallone.

If we’re lucky, we might see “Bass Reeves” at some point in 2023. The good news is, Sheridan already has a head start on casting.

Golden-Globe nominee David Oyelowo will play the titular Bass Reeves. You might recognize him from the 2014 film “Selma,” where he played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. More recently, he starred in films like “The Midnight Sky” and “Chaos Walking.”

Taylor Sheridan had a very specific reason for casting Oyelowo, though. “When I’m casting, I’m seeking the great actors of our generation,” Sheridan said in the announcement video. “And David Oyelowo is a once-a-generation talent.”

Oyelowo also spoke about his excitement to star in the show. “To look at a character like Bass Reeves… I mean this is the guy the ‘Lone Ranger’ was based on,” Oyelowo revealed. “Who got white-washed out of history. I just can’t wait to get on that horse and tell this story.”

We can’t wait to see how Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo depict the story of the great U.S. Marshall.

What Other Shows Are In the Works?

While “Bass Reeves,” is an exciting new project for Taylor Sheridan, it’s one of many he’s currently working on.

Sheridan, of course, continues to work on “Yellowstone” Season 5. The Paramount Network show really put his name on the map and inspired Paramount to give him free rein with whatever content he wanted to create. This led to Sheridan creating two prequel series, “1883” and “1932.” The former is wrapping up Season 1 this month while Sheridan’s writing the script for the latter. There’s also a “6666” spin-off coming soon.

Other than that, Taylor Sheridan has “Bass Reeves,” “Tulsa King,” “Land Man,” and “Lioness” to keep him busy.