Vikings star Travis Fimmel will executive produce and play Wyatt Earp in a new scripted, anthology series, the History channel announced Friday.
Fimmel also penned the first episode of the drama, which focuses on the true story of Earp "from his days in the violent Dodge City and his complex relationships with Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson, to the real story of what happened during the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral," a press release noted.
"Travis is a remarkable actor and we're honored to continue our relationship with him after his recent magnetic performance on Vikings," Arturo Interian, senior vice president of scripted programming at the cable network, said in a statement. "Just as Travis brought a completely fresh and unexpected approach to his character Ragnar Lothbrok, this would be an unconventional portrayal of Earp like you've never seen. We intend to capture the violent spirit of the great Sergio Leone films through telling the true story of criminal turned lawman."
"I've always been fascinated with what motivates people's transgressions and the scandalous journey into infamy," added Fimmel. "I wanted to re-examine stories people think they know without the rose-colored glasses of Hollywood and let the audience decide for themselves if people like Wyatt Earp were sinners or victims of life circumstances. When it came time to bring this project together I knew History, A+E Studios, Atlas and Imperative would be great partners."
