With the soft launch of the Robert Rodriguez-led El Rey Network only a month away, the upcoming cable channel is prepping its slate of original programming that will debut in early 2014. As we learned about six months ago, a television adaptation of Rodriguez's cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn will headline that slate as the network's first scripted series and with production on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series already underway, the remainder of its main cast was secured this week.
In a press release, the new network announced that Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), Madison Davenport (Shameless) and Brandon Soo Hoo (Ender's Game) have been cast as Jacob, Kate and Scott Fuller, respectively, while Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez was added as Santánico Pandemonium - the role originally (and very memorably) played by Salma Hayek in the film. These newest additions join D.J. Cotrona (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) as Seth Gecko, Zane Holtz (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as the murderous Richie Gecko and Don Johnson (Django Unchained) in a recurring role as Sheriff Earl McGraw.
Considering the series is being written, produced and directed by Rodriguez, it comes as no surprise that the characters and their names remain unchanged from the film version. The story - which will play out over a 10-episode first season - will also be exactly the same, but will expand on the Mesoamerican mythology behind the vampires and provide more detailed backgrounds on the main characters. Since the film's narrative was pretty thin - albeit a ton of fun - to begin with, there will likely be a significant amount of material added to create 10 hour-long episodes.
With the series using the same characters and storyline, fans of the original gorefest will undoubtedly be focused on the new cast of actors, namely Patrick, who takes on the role of Jacob Fuller, a mild-mannered former pastor who transforms into a vampire slayer with his family in danger. It will certainly be interesting for fans to see the veteran character actor put his signature stamp on a part played convincingly by Harvey Keitel in the original film.
Fans are sure to have a ball seeing new takes on other memorable characters as well, such as the thieving Gecko brothers and the sultry vampire queen, Santánico. George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the original film but is not said to be involved with the series) certainly had a unique chemistry on screen as the violent criminal duo, while Hayek made her mark in the head-turning role that many credit for launching her film career. We'll have to see what Cotrona, Holtz and Gonzalez bring to the table in the newest versions of their respective characters when the series finally hits the air.
Are you interesting in checking out From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series? And what do you think of the show's cast so far? Let us know in the comments.
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Look for From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series when it premieres on the El Rey Network in early 2014.
Source: El Rey Network