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Yes, I have finally given into my hearts desire (and the urging of others/fans) to go ahead and write a TV Pilot script for Lancer; Hero of the West. In fact, I've written half of the one hour drama draft.
While I'm slowly working on the third novel in the Lancer; Hero of the West series (The Santa Fe Affair), which itself will have some interesting new twists, mainly on the social level, the pilot will go in a new direction. There isn't much I can say about where I'm going with this for now for a lot of reasons, but to say Lancer fans will enjoy the new take I think will be an understatement. Lancer will remain Lancer.
The question of TV westerns is a big one. As you can see they are few and far between and those which have been on TV lately (AMC's Hell on Wheels for instance and HBO's Deadwood) are quite different than what we've been accustomed to. They are not, obviously, the John Wayne style westerns we grew up with. Nor are they the television westerns of the 1950's and 60's.
Since Lancer; Hero of the West is based on a compilation of the latter and my own inspiration, it is difficult to see through the trees as television executives have not been really open to characters of that ilk. The good news is however, is that everything goes in cycles. Is it time for a return to the 50's and 60's? Is the Quentin Tarantino western (Django Unchained and Hateful Eight) the new normal for the old west? Tough questions.
In addition, two new western series are being shopped around and one of them includes one of my all time favorites, Kurt Russell. He's teaming up with Mel Gibson. So it seems with the recent successes with various western genre, there may be a resurgence. Maybe the cycle is coming 'round.
I can only say when it comes to a Lancer TV pilot and series, if we are indeed lucky enough to get there, it will not be full of "F" Bombs if it's for main stream TV. If it goes the route of HBO or other such outlets there may be some expansion into that realm, although not for the man himself. This is not the way I'm writing it though.
While the cable networks (HBO, ShowTime and others) seem more open to period pieces, the mainstream networks don't seem to be. They seem more open to high tech and all that goes with it. This is a good thing. Don't worry Lancer fans, a reincarnation of "The Wild, Wild West" (the Will Smith version) is not where I'm going.
As soon as I can say more (when it's finished and registered/copyrighted) I will unveil more of the secrets of Lancer. It may be a few weeks, but more like a few months. Stay tuned and keep your thoughts and prayers with us as we move forward with this venture. Hopefully some TV executive will say "by golly, we have to do this!"
