On the big screen, film critic turned filmmaker Rod Lurie has explored a Valerie Plame-like scandal (“Nothing But the Truth”), the case of a homeless man who claims to be a former famous boxer (“Resurrecting the Champ”) and the issues surrounding the nomination of the first female Vice President (“The Contender”), a theme he sort of revisited on the small screen with his 2005-2006 ABC drama “Commander in Chief,” starring Geena Davis as a VP who ascends to the presidency after the death of the President.
Lurie has a new TV project in the works, this one on cable — Starz announced today that it’s developing “Monsters of God,” a period drama set in 1867 Texas during the Comanche Wars and centered aroun two ex-cavalrymen who struggle to maintain order over the men they command in unsettled territory. Luri and Marc Frydman will executive produce the project, which will be produced by Starz and Plan B Entertainment.
“If you want to make a series that is big, ballsy and epic, you go to Starz,” Lurie said in the announcement. “I am hoping that the show will have enormous scope, but never at the expense of historical accuracy. My fellow producers and I can’t wait to take a shot at this.”
The post-Civil War era is a popular one for current dramas — there’s AMC’s “Hell on Wheels,” set in 1865 and BBC America’s “Copper,” both of which are about characters fresh from the conflict and societies trying to re-establish normalcy. History’s hit miniseries from last year “Hatfields & McCoys” also dealt with the aftermath of the war.
Lurie’s last film was his 2011 remake of Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs.”
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