AMC Developing Navajo Police Psychological Thriller Series DARK WINDS with Producers George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford

AMC Developing Navajo Police Psychological Thriller Series DARK WINDS with Producers George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford.

AMC is developing a series adaptation of the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds, with George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford set to executive produce. Chris Eyre will direct the pilot and executive produce. Zahn McClarnon (Doctor Sleep, Longmire, Hawkeye) and Kiowa Gordon (Wind Walkers) are set to star in the show.

Dark Winds is described as “a psychological thriller that follows two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest, as their search for clues in a grisly double murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts.”

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement, “We are excited to welcome Chris Eyre, AMC Studios, and the industry’s top executives for the production of Dark Winds, part of which will be filmed on the Navajo Nation. I also welcome my friend, Robert Redford, back to our Nation once again. This week, the Navajo Nation lifted more COVID-19 restrictions to welcome visitors and tourists back to Diné Bikéyah. We look forward to welcoming the film crew and we hope this will serve to draw more interest from production companies and draw more tourists to boost our economy and contribute to the ‘Buy Navajo, Buy Local’ initiative. Thank you to everyone involved in this great venture with the Great Navajo Nation!”

Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios shared, “We’re thrilled by the prospect of authentically telling this story with a group of remarkably talented individuals. This is a rich and deeply unsettling psychological thriller set in a world we know viewers will appreciate experiencing for themselves. The series order is the product of several months in a writers’ room staffed entirely by Native American writers, and it is a series that will be brought to life by those storytellers, with a cast led by Zahn McClarnon and featuring Native American actors, filmed largely in and around Native American lands, with the full support and blessing of The Navajo Nation. We are so excited about telling this captivating and entertaining story while rendering this vibrant, rich, wonderful culture and community on AMC+ and AMC.”

Redford added, “I read my first Tony Hillerman novel in 1986 while filming in New Mexico and was immediately hooked. Hillerman is a master storyteller, his writing is full of mystery and suspense, set amidst a background that blends traditional oral stories of Native American culture and landscape. I am happy to partner with George R.R. Martin and AMC on this project, and am especially grateful for the collaboration with President Nez and The Navajo Nation.”

Season 1 will consist of six episodes. It is slated to debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2022.

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