Michael Ealy has reportedly joined the cast of MGM+‘s remake of The Magnificent Seven. The series was greenlit by MGM+ in December last year and will have eight episodes. It is based on the iconic 1960 Western movie of the same name.

Michael Ealy joins the cast of MGM+’s The Magnificent Seven remake

According to a report by Deadline, Michael Ealy has been brought on board to join MGM+’s upcoming remake series, The Magnificent Seven.

Ealy is going to play the role of Vin Tanner, who first debuted on the big screen in the 1960 classic of the same name. Steven McQueen portrayed the character in 1960. The 1960 film was remade in 2016, in which Chris Pratt played Joshua Faraday, a character inspired by McQueen’s Tanner.

Writer Tim Kring is writing the series. The remake is being executive-produced by Lawrence Mirisch, Bruce Kaufman, and Donald De Line. Filming for this project is expected to commence next month. Ealy will join Matt Dillon and Will Patton in the remake. Dillon is portraying the character of Chris Adams, who was played by Yul Brynner in the 1960 movie.

Furthermore, it was previously reported that True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto is developing an adaptation of The Magnificent Seven. However, Variety reported Pizzolatto has no involvement in the aforementioned remake by MGM+.

The upcoming series will follow seven mercenaries tasked with protecting a Quaker village that was attacked. Speaking about the series, MGM+ head Michael Wright said in a statement, “Tim Kring is a master storyteller. Tim, Donald De Line, Larry Mirisch, and Bruce Kaufman have crafted a series that delivers the energy of a classic Western, honors the legacy of the original film, and reasserts its timeless themes of the power of unity against oppression and flawed heroes finding redemption by helping those who can’t help themselves.”