Paramount+
Interested in being part of a film crew? Well, your chance to be on the set of the new “1883” spin-off “Bass Reeves” is only an application away. Legacy Casting recently posted on social media that the crew behind the scenes of this shoot is looking for more PAs (Production Assistants) to work on the show over the next few weeks.
Legacy Casting, however, is not hiring for the PA positions, instead, they placed a link in the advert to be filled out by anyone interested in applying. Paid office and set positions are available daily through June 23, according to the post.
“We are excited to offer an opportunity to expand your experience working on a production set, here in Fort Worth, TX, and surrounding cities, where our show is filmed,” the post says. “Our goal is to work with local filmmakers, within our community, to begin to foster the passion and dedication necessary to survive and thrive in the world of television and filmmaking.”
This Taylor Sheridan-penned spin-off will appear on Paramount+, where two other “Yellowstone” prequels “1883” and “1923” are currently streaming.
The role of Bass Reeves himself will be played by David Oyelowo, who is best known for playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Ava DuVernay’s film “Selma”. Dennis Quaid has also been confirmed to have a role in the series playing Deputy U.S. Marshal Sherrill Lynn. Bass Reeves is far from Quaid’s first time in a western as well-he played Doc Holiday in 1994’s “Wyatt Earp” and played Sam Houston in 2004’s “The Alamo”.
But that’s not all. “Yellowstone” fan favorite, Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler in “Yellowstone” is set to also have a role in the upcoming “1883’ spin-off as well. Perhaps he will be playing an ancestor of Rip's? There is no confirmation as of yet as to what his place will be in the Bass Reeves saga.
The historical figure Bass Reeves was the first Black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi. Reeves’ remarkable number of arrests has led some historians to speculate that he may have even been the inspiration for the “Lone Ranger”. While this is disputed, there is no dispute over how remarkable a figure Reeves was. He was born into slavery in 1838. After the Civil War broke out, George Reeves, the man enslaving him, joined the Confederacy, forcing Bass to go as well. Bass escaped and lived with the Seminole, Cherokee, and Creek tribes in what was at the time Indian Territory. After slavery was legally abolished Bass Reeves was appointed a deputy marshal, in part due to his familiarity with Indian Territory and many of the languages spoken there.
While doing press at an event for Paramount+ in the UK in early 2022, Oyelowo revealed some key plot details about the series.
“So, Bass Reeves is a character who the Lone Ranger was actually based on,” Oyelowo said. “But unfortunately, he was whitewashed out of history. He was born into enslavement, went on to fight in the Civil War [and] then escaped to the Indian Territory; learned the Native American languages and skills, which ended up being applied to his career as a lawman, and [he] had the most prolific career. 3000 arrests in his career and someone whose exploits are truly legendary. We're doing it as a six-part miniseries. So basically a six-hour movie.[…] Now, back in the day when you watched ‘Ben-Hur’ or ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, that was epic storytelling, but you put a three-hour [or] four-hour film in front of people now [they're like] "oh, gosh!" But you let them binge something that [is] six to ten hours, they're all in. So, I think it's just a reframing of it. Maybe it's just a mental leap people need to take to engage with the storytelling a little bit longer.”
