‘Bass Reeves’: Joaquina Kalukango, Lonnie Chavis Among 5 Cast In Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ Series

‘Bass Reeves’: Joaquina Kalukango, Lonnie Chavis Among 5 Cast In Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ Series

EXCLUSIVE: Joaquina Kalukango (Lovecraft Country), Lonnie Chavis (This is Us), Rob Morgan (Mudbound), Ryan O’Nan (Queen of the South), and Justin Hurtt-Dunkley (Mare Of Easttown) have been tapped for key recurring roles opposite David Oyelowo and Dennis Quaid in Bass Reeves, from Yellowstone co-creator/showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

Bass Reeves, which is currently in production in Texas, brings the legendary lawman of the Wild West to life. Reeves (Oyelowo), known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.

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Kalukango will play Esme, a former slave woman who is as good as family with the Reeves’, and who also has some different ideas about the future.

Chavis will play Arthur Mayberry, a young, sweet boy with eyes for the Reeves’ daughter Sally.  

Morgan will play Ramsey, a once strong man who has been broken by time.

O’Nan will play ‘Darrell Dolliver’, one of the two Dolliver outlaws that Bass is tasked with tracking down and bringing to justice.

Hurtt-Dunkley will play Ike, a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Cast also includes series regulars Lauren E. Banks, Forrest Goodluck, Barry Pepper, Demi Singleton. Shea Whigham and Garrett Hedlund are set to guest star. 

Bass Reeves is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios, Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch Productions and Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon. The series is created for television by Chad Feehan, who also serves as showrunner. Exec producers include Sheridan, Feehan, David C. Glasser, David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo, David Permut, Christina Alexandra Voros, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari and David Hutkin.

Kalukango received the 2022 Tony and Drama Desk awards for leading actress in a musical for her performance as Nelly O’Brien in Paradise Square. She also received a 2020 Tony nomination for her performance in the Broadway production of Slave Play. On the film side, she shared in a 2021 SAG Award nomination for Cast in a Motion Picture for her role as Betty X  in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami. She also recurred on the HBO series Lovecraft Country. Kalukango is repped by CAA, Howard Green Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Chavis is maybe best known for his role as the younger version of Sterling K. Brown’s character Randall on NBC’s This Is Us. He also starred alongside Rosario Dawson and Maria Bello in The Water Man, directed by David Oyelowo, which premiered at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival. He can most recently be seen starring as Bobby in the thriller film The Boy Behind the Door. Chavis is repped by Canopy Media Partners and Skrzyniarz & Mallean.

Morgan is known for his work in the Oscar-nominated Mudbound, A24’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco and Warner Bros’s Just Mercy. He also can be seen in HBO’s Winning Time. Morgan is repped by Stride Management and Yorn Levine Barnes.

O’Nan is known for his work on ABC’s Big Sky, USA’s Queen of the South, FX’s Fargo, Showtime’s Ray Donovan, NBC’s Blacklist and CBS’ Person of Interest, among others. He recently starred as the lead in Kevin Smith’s film Killroy Was Here. O’Nan is repped by Lasher Group, The Framework Collective, UTA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Hurtt-Dunkley is known for his roles on HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Netflix’s High Flying Bird and TBS’ The Last O.G. He’s repped by Untitled Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.