Before he was clad in opulent armor for 300: Rise of an Empire, few moviegoers would have recognized the name Jack O’Connell on any given casting docket. That all changed thanks to a starring role in Angelina Jolie’s wartime drama Unbroken, and since then, the English actor has been snapping up roles left, right and center.
Adding another feather to that proverbial cap today, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that O’Connell has been tapped for Godless, Steven Soderbergh’s new Western series that recently found a home at Netflix. THR confirms that O’Connell will headline the series as Roy Goode, an “injured outlaw on the run from his former boss.” It’s certainly a major project for O’Connell to be involved in, particularly considering that the actor’s TV credits up until now have only included Skins and The Runaway.
Reteaming with his Out of Sight scribe Scott Frank, Soderbergh’s 1800s-set Western is said to revolve around one Frank Griffin, a “menacing outlaw who is terrorizing the West as he hunts down Roy Goode (O’Connell), his son-like partner-turned-mortal enemy. While Roy hides at Alice Fletcher’s ranch, Frank’s chase leads him to the quiet town of La Belle — that is mysteriously made up of entirely women.”
Continuing to bang the drum for original content, Netflix is yet to nail down a production timeline for Godless at the time of writing. O’Connell, meanwhile, has a bustling slate that includes Tulip Fever, Money Monster, HHhH and Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
