Sam Neill has been set to star in the AMC drama “The Son,” playing the patriarch of a Texas family in a multigenerational story of the clan’s rise and fall.
Production on the AMC Studios/Sonar Entertainment series, which has a 10-episode order, is scheduled to begin in June in Austin. Also cast in the series is Sydney Lucas, the Tony-nominated pre-teen from Broadway’s “Fun Home,” Henry Garrett, Zahn McClarnon and Paolo Nunez.
“Son” is based on the novel by Philipp Meyer that chronicles America’s rise as a superpower through the prism of the McCullough family. Neill’s Eli McCullough is born on the day that Texas declared itself an independent Republic from Mexico, earning him the nickname of “First Son of Texas.” The series is expected to bow on AMC next year.
Meyer, Lee Shipman, Brian McGreevy and showrunner Kevin Murphy are writing and exec producing. Jenna Glazier will produce for Sonar.
“This is an incredibly talented cast, led by the remarkable Sam Neill, and we can’t wait to see them embody these characters and give life to this unforgettable story,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV.
Neill is best known as the star of the original “Jurassic Park” trilogy. More recently he’s been on TV in Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders” and Fox’s “Alcatraz.”
