Dark Winds, a Western thriller series from George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford, is heading to AMC

The series follows two Navajo police officers in the 1970s as they investigate a double murder case

By Gabrielle Sanchez  |  July 9, 2021 | 5:17pm
TV News Robert Redford
Dark Winds, a Western thriller series from George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford, is heading to AMC
Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon at the screening of Sundance Channel’s The Red Road in 2014. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez

AMC Networks has green-lit a Western psychological thriller series titled Dark Winds, based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee book series. The first season of the show will follow two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest as they investigate a grisly double murder case. As their investigation into the seemingly unconnected murders unfolds, the two are forced to challenge their spiritual beliefs and come to terms with their traumatic pasts.

Dark Winds stars Zahn McClarnon (Westworld, Fargo), and Kiowa Gordon (The Red Road). Vince Calandra (Castle Rock, Sharp Objects) is the showrunner with Chris Eyre signed on to direct the pilot. Executive producers include: Game Of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid’s Robert Redford, Tina Elmo, Eyre, McClarnon, Calandra, and Vince Gerardis.

“We’re thrilled by the prospect of authentically telling this story with a group of remarkably talented individuals,” says Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. “This is a rich and deeply unsettling psychological thriller set in a world we know viewers will appreciate experiencing for themselves. The series order is the product of several months in a writers’ room staffed entirely by Native American writers, and it is a series that will be brought to life by those storytellers, with a cast led by Zahn McClarnon and featuring Native American actors.”

Dark Winds was shot on Native American lands with the support of the Navajo Nation.

“We are excited to welcome Chris Eyre, AMC Studios, and the industry’s top executives for the production of Dark Winds, part of which will be filmed on the Navajo Nation,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says. “I also welcome my friend, Robert Redford, back to our Nation once again.”

The first season will contain six episodes and is expected to premiere in 2022.

 
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