Starz has rounded out the lead cast for its upcoming untitled rodeo drama, adding DeWanda Wise, Tian Richards, and Marcus Mitchell as series regulars. The eight-episode drama is scheduled to begin filming in Atlanta later this month.
Set in Southeast Texas, the series follows three siblings navigating family legacy, personal ambition, and long-buried secrets in a community where rodeo is deeply woven into everyday life. Blending country roots with hip-hop culture, the drama explores shifting loyalties, complicated relationships, and the weight of generational expectations.
Wise will play Anaya Clarke-Reagan, the Clarke family’s firstborn. Savvy, polished, and highly educated, Anaya is the eldest Clarke sibling and the mayor of Trinity City. A consummate chameleon, she has built a conservative public image alongside her husband, Gregg, a powerful judge — an image that conceals far darker desires. Anaya works tirelessly for her city, but self-preservation and family come first, even when that means protecting them from their own father. She’ll do whatever it takes to secure her public image and political aspirations.
Richards will play Rodney Clarke, the fire-starter. Sebastian and Anaya’s smart-ass, openly gay younger brother. Charming, impulsive, and incapable of leaving a wound alone, Rodney is the sibling most likely to turn a spark into an inferno. He has little interest in the family rodeo, preferring to run Big Rod’s Likka Lounge, where it appears he’s finally put his troubled past behind him. He hasn’t. When his business is violently robbed, and one of his own is killed, Rodney embarks on a reckless quest for revenge that threatens to engulf the entire Clarke family.
Mitchell will play Julius Calhoun, the hometown hero. Disciplined. Proud. Sebastian’s closest friend. Jojo’s protective older brother. Tall. Sexy. He’s also deeply spiritual. Bible verse etched into his riding jacket. Nonconfrontational but not afraid to stand up for himself. Julius is Trinity City’s main draw and most decorated bull rider since Sebastian. For him, being a cowboy is a way of life. Bull riding is a way to a better life. And he’s looking to take his career beyond Trinity City. Julius’ ambitions put his body and friendship with Sebastian to the test. Still, Julius will go great lengths to stay on top.
The series is led by showrunner and executive producer Kirk A. Moore, with executive producers Mark Johnson, Myki Bajaj, Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson, and Lilly Burns.