Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy star Ron Perlman has begun filming a new western movie in Oklahoma, after being granted a SAG interim agreement. The film is called Cottonmouth and stars Martin Sensmeier and Jonathan Sadowski are two friends who become brutal enemies in 1895 frontier territory.
Cottonmouth is hoping to join the ranks of the best westerns of recent years, with the genre currently in a revival period. It is directed by Brock Harris, and also stars Esai Morales – who was the main villain in Mission Impossible 7 – and Eric Nelson who brings western experience from the Taylor Sheridan series 1883.
Ron Perlman has had plenty of experience on the other side of the law in Sons of Anarchy, but here he plays a prison warden. However, his character is described as ‘sinister’ and the prison as ‘tortuous.’ Perlman has appeared in over 100 movies since 1980, and is known for his collaborations with Guillermo del Toro. He also starred in Drive, Alien Resurrection, and The City of Lost Children. Perlman has also appeared in over 80 TV shows – mainly doing voiceover for animation.
The full synopsis of Cottonmouth (via Deadline) is as follows; set in 1895, the film follows friends Ed and Frank (Sensmeier and Sadowski) who become brutal enemies in Oklahoma frontier territory when a rivalry develops over a woman (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) who is set to inherit a prominent saloon. After a bounty hunter (Nelsen) makes Ed disappear to the prison run by Perlman’s warden, where he must learn the ways of an outlaw from a prison-mate (Morales) to escape and exact his revenge.
“Making a western in my home state is the ultimate blessing. With these legendary performers, we’re delivering a tall tale on sacred land,” said director Brock Harris. “Revenge is a dish best served with a smoking gun.”
Westerns are enjoying popularity and acclaim once again at the moment, with the likes of The Power of the Dog, The Harder They Fall, News of the World, Hostiles, The Wind, Clint Eastwood‘s Cry Macho and more gaining positive reviews. Ron Perlman himself recently starred in western The Last Victim.
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