Entertainment Magazine
"INTO THE WEST"
From TNT, Executive Producer Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks Television, INTO THE WEST is the epic saga of the early Americans’ bold journey into the rugged western frontier.
From the “rags-to-riches” fantasies inspired by The Gold Rush, to the clash of cultures that brought about the tragedy of Wounded Knee, INTO THE WEST features a star-studded cast, including Sean Astin, Tom Berenger, Beau Bridges, Josh Brolin, Keith Carradine, Rachael Leigh Cook, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Modine, Keri Russell, Wes Studi and Skeet Ulrich among others.
Turner Network Television (TNT), the first network for drama, is boldly heading west for the television event of the summer.
INTO THE WEST, an epic six-week limited series produced by TNT in association with DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg, tells the colossal story of the opening of the American West, a dramatic, personal tale of the adventurous exploration of the American wilderness, the life-and-death struggle between the Native American and pioneer cultures, the rush to riches in a new land and the building of a new civilization.
This landmark production, the largest ever undertaken by TNT, is co-executive-produced by Darryl Frank (Taken, Las Vegas) and Justin Falvey (Las Vegas), co-heads of DreamWorks Television, and William Mastrosimone (Sinatra, The Burning Season), who also wrote the overall story for the series and the scripts for three of its installments.
David A. Rosemont, executive producer of TNT’s Purgatory and Emmy-winning Door to Door, serves as producer for the project, which premieres on Friday, June 10 on TNT.
Each two-hour episode will be featured in a three-play weekend, airing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
INTO THE WEST’s enormous cast is headed by Matthew Settle (U-571, Band of Brothers); Skeet Ulrich (Miracles, As Good as It Gets); Michael Spears (Dances with Wolves, TNT’s Broken Chain); Tonantzin Carmelo (King Rikki, 187 Shadow Lane); George Leach (DreamKeeper, After the Harvest); and Zahn McClarnon (TNT’s Crazy Horse and Cooperstown).
“INTO THE WEST takes place during one of the single most dramatic periods in American history,” said Spielberg. “We’re painting this on a huge canvas in order to tell a story that explores the Gold Rush, the transcontinental railroad, the wild west and the Indian wars leading to the tragedy at Wounded Knee. These are all facets of the American and Native American experience. It’s the story about opportunity and the clash of cultures and the eventual overwhelming of one nation’s way of life over another.”
“INTO THE WEST is the most ambitious original production TNT has ever undertaken,” said Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TNT. “Producing something of this size and complexity would be impossible without the amazing talents and passionate hard work of those who are bringing it to life. We are fortunate to have some of the most talented people in the industry working on what we believe will be the television event of the year.”
As the desire for adventure, wealth and a better life inspired thousands to risk their lives traveling across the vast western territories, the inhabitants of this land see their way of life being compromised. Set against the backdrop of major historical events, this powerful epic adventure unfolds as told through the struggles, triumphs and heartaches of two families as they journey in search of the American dream.
Spanning the years 1825 to 1890, INTO THE WEST follows two multi-generational families, one settlers and the other Native American, each telling the dramatic stories of the development of the West from their distinct points of view.
Hailing from Virginia is the Wheeler clan, a family of wheelwrights whose story focuses on Jacob (Settle), a spirited young man who heads west and eventually marries a Native American woman named Thunder Heart Woman (Carmelo). After it is believed that Jacob has been killed, his brother Jethro (Ulrich) vows to protect Jacob’s widow and children.
The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe. Thunder Heart Woman is a member of this family, along with her brothers, Loved by the Buffalo (Baker – night 1; Leach – nights 2 and 3), who has been given a spiritual vision about the future of his people; Dog Star (Spears), who diligently holds to the traditional ways; and Running Fox (McClarnon), who believes the only way to survive is to adapt to the white man’s ways.
Throughout the series, the two families experience the historical and cultural events that led to an epic clash of cultures, often becoming involved with the notable events of the period, from the Gold Rush to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad to the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations.
Advising on the production of INTO THE WEST are Charlie White Buffalo, a Lakota Studies professor at Oglala Lakota College; George P. Horse Capture, senior counselor to the director and special assistant for cultural relations at the National Museum of the American Indian; Kay-Karol Horse Capture, a specialist in ethnographic and material culture objects; Kerry Scott, a teaching assistant in the department of Native American Studies at the University of Letterbridge, Robin Whortman, a specialist in native economic development and corporate relations and Joseph Marshall, a published author and Native consultant for film and television.
DreamWorks Television is a division of Dreamworks SKG which was founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Dreamworks Television currently produces the hit NBC series Las Vegas which was just picked up for a third season, as well as the critically acclaimed drama Rescue Me, entering its second season on FX. In partnership with Mark Burnett productions, Dreamworks also produces the boxing reality series The Contender for NBC.
In addition to INTO THE WEST, DreamWorks Television is in production on The Miracle Workers, an upcoming reality series for ABC in which a team of physicians transform the lives of a real individual in need of medical help. DreamWorks Television’s earlier successes include the sitcom Spin City, which is now in syndication; the multiple award-winning HBO miniseries Band of Brothers; and the Emmy-winning SciFi Channel series Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken. In addition to the aforementioned projects, past Dreamworks television series include Father of the Pride, Freaks and Geeks, The Job, Boomtown, Undeclared, Oliver Beene, Line of Fire and It’s Like ... You Know. Dreamworks Television is run by Co-Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank.
Turner Network Television (TNT), television’s destination for drama and one of cable’s top-rated networks, offers original movies and limited series, including Into the West, an epic six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg; original recurring series, including the detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, and the crime thriller Wanted, with Gary Cole; powerful one-hour dramas, such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER, NYPD Blue, Charmed, Judging Amy and Angel; broadcast premiere movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is also available in high-definition.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.
Official Web site: WWW.INTOTHEWEST.COM
INTO THE WESTWeekends: INDEX: |