Photos: STARZ Adds Five Cast Members to Untitled Black Rodeo Drama Series
The eight-episode series joins DeWanda Wise, Tian Richards, and Marcus Emanuel Mitchell in STARZ's fully owned lineup.
STARZ has announced five additional cast members joining its untitled family drama set inside the thriving world of Black rodeo in Texas. Shannon Wallace ('Diarra From Detroit,' 'Beauty in Black'), Curtiss Cook ('The Chi,' 'House of Cards'), Lauren E. Banks ('Lawmen: Bass Reeves,' 'City on a Hill'), Liv Symone ('Power Book III: Raising Kanan,' Michael), and Jason Dirden ('Bosch: Legacy,' 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan') round out the series regulars for the project. The one-hour, eight-episode drama marks STARZ's second wholly owned series as it continues to bolster its fully owned programming pipeline as a standalone company.
Wallace will play Sebastian Clarke, a recently divorced former bull-riding champion, Sebastian's career ended after an arena accident nearly took his life. Handsome, charismatic, and relentlessly ambitious, he transformed the family rodeo into one of East Texas' premier regional showcases. But what Sebastian builds with charm, he often undermines with impulse. A compulsive risk-taker in business, gambling, and love, he's determined to take the family legacy to the next level – if his self-destructive instincts don't destroy it first.
Cook will play Elias Clarke, handsome, charming, and quietly persuasive, Elias is the Clarke siblings' estranged father and co-founder of the family rodeo with his late wife. Never one to draw much distinction between what was right and what was legal, his past choices landed him in prison and left an indelible stain on the family legacy. Recently released, Elias returns determined to earn back his children's trust; but, as he clashes with Sebastian over the future of the rodeo, it's unclear whether he has changed...or if he's simply recalibrating.
Banks will play Wynter, Sebastian's ex-wife and mother and coach to their son, Driver. After building her entire adult life around the Clarke family and the rodeo, newly-divorced Wynter is finally asking what she wants for herself. She's ready to loosen her grip, explore life outside the arena, and maybe even a few new men.
Symone will play Jojo Calhoun, brazen and creative, Jojo is local bull riding star Julius' younger sister and a talented barrel racer. While the boys focus on their rodeo careers, Jojo feels ostracized by the more traditional women riders and cowgirls. Good thing she's an even better rapper than rider – and she's determined to be the biggest artist to ever come out of Trinity City.
Dirden will play Greg Reagan, a respected District Court judge and Anaya's husband, Greg is supportive, charming, and easygoing. But beneath the polish is real steel, along with a past he keeps carefully buried. Fiercely protective of his wife, Greg is not afraid to get his hands dirty when Anaya, or the life they've built together, is threatened.
Infused with hip hop swagger and country soul, the series unfolds in Southeast Texas, where rodeo isn't just what you do - it's who you are. At the center are three siblings bound by the legacy their mother built and the unfinished business their father left behind. Driven by their own ambitions and drawn into each other's orbit, alliances shift, relationships tangle, and nothing stays private for long.
Previously announced cast includes DeWanda Wise ('Three Women,' Killing Faith) as Anaya Clarke-Reagan, Tian Richards ('Tom Swift,' 'Ballard') as Rodney Clarke, and Marcus Emanuel Mitchell ('Doctor Odyssey,' 'Chicago Fire') as Julius Calhoun.
Kirk A. Moore ('Demascus,' 'American Crime') is showrunner and executive producer. Mark Johnson ('Breaking Bad,' 'Interview with the Vampire') and Myki Bajaj ('Demascus') of Gran Via Productions, and Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson and Lilly Burns of Counterpart Studios ('Dexter: Resurrection,' 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,' and 'Free Bert') also serve as executive producers. Giovanna Desselle, VP of Original Programming, and Christina Jokanovich, SVP of Original Programming, are the executives overseeing the series for STARZ.
The series greenlight accelerates STARZ's slate expansion of premium originals, high-value acquisitions, and hit franchises, creating efficiencies to enable the network to deliver even more programming to serve women and underrepresented audiences. It joins the high-octane crime drama 'Fightland' as STARZ's second self-owned series. Alongside hit series 'P-Valley,' it also expands the network's slate of premium dramas rooted in Black Southern culture.
About STARZ
STARZ (NASDAQ: STRZ) is the leading premium entertainment destination for women and underrepresented audiences, and home to some of the most popular franchises and series on television. STARZ offers a robust programming mix for discerning adult audiences, including boundary-breaking originals and an expansive lineup of blockbuster movies, and is embodied by its brand positioning 'We're All Adults Here.' Complementary to any platform or service, STARZ is available across a wide range of digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors and is a bundling partner of choice. STARZ is powered by an industry-leading advanced technology, data analytics and digital infrastructure and the highly rated and first-of-its-kind STARZ app.
